It never occurred to me that I would be writing for a parenting website. I was interested in so many things – photography, movies and more.

When I applied for the job as staff writer for the then soon-to-be-launched Smart Parenting website, I wondered whether they would ever consider someone like me, yes, a “non-parent,” for the position. How could someone like me who hasn’t had a kid yet write about parenting and actually help other parents? The most of parenting that I ever knew was playing with or looking after my nephews, nieces or inaanaks.

Parenting Goes Beyond Biological Ties

Recently, I just celebrated my first year in Summit and I can proudly say that yes, titas and ninangs are “parents” too. Over the past year, despite the countless times that I have been asked how many kids I already have, and being teased by officemates on the latest parenting giveaways I get from press events, there really is something rewarding about working with all dedicated the parents, aunts, uncles and godparents of SP.

I’ve witnessed just how much more love a person’s heart can contain once they become a parent. With the parents I’ve been working with and meeting, I’ve seen their being madly “in love” with their child’s laughter, their unmatched patience to kids’ crazy antics and their most nerve-wracking tantrums, their constant worrying over their child’s wellbeing, and, above all, the lengths a mother and father will go to just to secure their child’s future.

It’s All About Providing Children with The Right Environment

I realize that being exposed to all these parents, I’ve become more attuned to myself as a potential parent: basking in the happiness of a baby falling asleep in your arms, quietly explaining to your nephew what he did wrong, the amusement that comes with a child successfully saying something (it’s even cuter when they’re still bulol!) you just taught him, and more. It has even come to the point where I have confronted parents close to my heart and defended the form of discipline I felt was appropriate, motivated purely by my concern for their child.

While becoming a mother is still something that’s hardly on my horizon right now, just the delight of educating a child or keeping him safe from harm is enough to fill my parenting plate. You might not become a mother or father until you have your own child, but yes, titos, titas, ninongs and ninangs most certainly can become “parents” too.