Kaila Estrada on the best thing she learned about love from mom Janice: ‘To choose myself’
Kaila Estrada and her mom Janice de Belen. Image: Instagram/@kailaestrada
Kaila Estrada stressed how grateful she is to her mom, actress Janice de Belen, for teaching her to prioritize loving herself before loving somebody else.
The younger actress spoke about her perspective on loving someone during a media conference for the second season of “Love Bites” on Thursday, April 20. The topic was brought up after she and other cast members were asked about the worst thing they did for love.
“I feel like the worst thing you can do ‘pag nagmamahal ka is makalimutan mo ‘yung sarili mo,” Kaila said. “I feel like you need to learn how to love yourself also kasi hindi mo mabibigay ‘yung love na gusto mo, hindi magiging healthy ‘yung love na mabibigay mo kung hindi mo uunahin na mahalin ‘yung sarili mo.”
(I feel like the worst thing you can do when loving someone is to forget yourself. I feel like you need to learn how to love yourself also because you will not be able to give the love you want, and it will not be healthy as well if you do not love yourself first.)
“And I don’t think you should forget about yourself when you’re loving somebody healthily. Love is a choice,” she continued. “Sometimes things don’t work out because you choose to love yourself first and I think that’s very important.”
Being the child of De Belen and actor John Estrada whose relationship was at some point “one of the most celebrated love stories” in show business, Kaila was later asked about the best thing she learned from them about love.
“In relation to what I said the worst that I feel like I’ve done, my mom taught me to choose myself,” she answered.
“I’ll forever be grateful to her for teaching me that because I really do think it is important [because], of course, kailangan mong alagaan ‘yung sarili mo (you need to take care of yourself), and loving yourself will teach you how to love somebody else better also,” she added.
Kaila noticeably did not mention her dad John, who recently made headlines because of his marital problems with his wife Priscilla Meirelles.
Aside from Kaila, former couple De Belen and John have three more children, namely Inah, Moira and Yuan. Kaila, Moira and Yuan earlier went on a trip to Cebu together with John, Meirelles, as well as their daughter Anechka. /ra
