Cherry Pie Picache (left) with son Nio Tria
“Letting go of him is more imminent now,” said actress Cherry Pie Picache of her only son, actor-athlete Nio Tria, who is now 20.
“He is growing up and is starting to form his own ideas and principles. I’ve always taught him to be independent, so I’m now preparing myself emotionally. All his life, it was just the two of us, so if he ever decides to finally live on his own, it will surely be a major adjustment for me,” the actress told Inquirer Entertainment.
Cherry Pie and Nio’s father, Gary, separated when Nio was young. The actress is currently dating actor Edu Manzano.
“Nio already has a girlfriend. Whenever I would ask him to have dinner with me, he would sometimes decline because he has already committed to meet her. It was at this point when I asked him to sit down with me to talk. I said, ‘I hope we don’t lose the honesty and trust with each other,’” said Cherry Pie when asked to recall this all-important incident with Nio. “I told him, ‘Anak, I’m having a hard time. I miss you. We don’t talk anymore. I want you to understand where I’m coming from, so that this will not seem like I’m just nagging you.’”
Open communication
She continued: “As a single mom, it was kind of painful for me to accept that, while I used to be that person he would seek out to share his thoughts with, we hardly get to talk anymore. He consults his friends now. Honestly, I had to adjust to that.”
Fortunately, the heart-to-heart talk with Nio proved fruitful. “It’s important to keep communication lines open,” Cherry Pie stressed. “After our talk, things seemed to improve. We also started making time for just the two of us. It’s true that the bond you have with your child is similar to any romantic relationship you have. You really have to work on it.”