Camille Prats Recalls The First Time Her Stepson Called Her Mom

Actress, host, and mom, Camille Prats, along with her husband VJ Yambao and their children Ice, Nathan, Nala, and Nolan, is inspiring parents everywhere with their blended family setup. In a vlog with Bernadette Sembrano, Camille candidly shares the challenges and blessings of a modern, blended family.

She started by saying that she’s very happy with her family. And that, “For a long time, yung pagiging modern [blended] family, hindi siya madali. Kasi mahirap siya i-navigate kasi maraming unspoken words. Marami ding bagay na sa pakiramdam mo nalang nakikita. Karamihan ng mga bata, yung ibang naririnig ko na kwento, they don’t feel na they belong, even if okay lahat.

Camille said that she and VJ are thankful that their kids get along well. Ice is VJ’s son who was born when the former was 17 years old. Nathan is Camille’s son with her deceased first husband, Anthony. She recounts, “Ice kasi, my stepson, hindi siya nakatira sa amin, nakatira siya sa mommy niya, growing up. Sobrang okay sila ni Nathan, they’re the best of friends. And I think that’s the biggest blessing, that they found a brother in each other.

A message of apology

Camille shared how she reached out to Ice’s mom, who she admitted, initially, “May not-so-good air between VJ and the mom, tapos syempre kami din because of our past na hindi okay. So ako, I knew I had to do something there.”

“So one of the things that God impressed in my heart was to reach out to the mom of Ice. It was a really big step for me kasi hindi talaga kami okay. Pinag-pray ko talaga iyon. And it happened.I I messaged her. It was a message of apology because parang feeling ko we know that we are both hurting. Kaya kami civil eh, kasi meron kaming hindi magandang pinanggalingan. It was really a blessing na the way she responded was also very genuinely nice. And she said, ‘You know, I’m also praying for this, na sana maging okay tayo.’”

“After that, ang laki nung ginaan sa pakiramdam. She was really very accepting of this. Kumbaha, sobra din akong blessed na hindi niya pinagdamot si Ice sa akin. Gusto rin iyun ni VJ eh. Parang all this time, VJ wanted that time to be with Ice, but growing up, hindi siya nagkaroon ng opportunity na talagang to have Ice with us. So parang ako, lahat iyun pinag-pray ko talaga.”

‘Happy Mother’s Day, Mom’

Camille then recounted the emotional moment that Ice called her mom.

She said, “It was really God who’s moving into our hearts as we transition into this. Si Ice, calls me Tita Camille growing up. And that’s not a problem, I totally get it. As he moves here, April iyun, June, May is Mother’s Day, so they asked me what I wanted for Mother’s Day. So sabi ko, you know, I just want you guys to write me a letter and tell me the things that you wanna tell me. The things you think of me.”

“Si Nathan, gave me his letter, usually very sweet naman talaga iyun. And then Ice gave me his letter, dalawang bond paper. This is long, so parang okay, thank you. Sabi niya, ‘O, you read it na.’ Sabi ko, mamaya nalang, hindi ko alam maging reaksyon ko eh, diba.”

“I went upstairs and opened it. And then, ang haba ng letter niya. He goes back to the time when he was still young, and how he appreciated me, taking care of them, being patient with him and Nathan. Parang for me, oh, I didn’t know na they appreciate that pala. And then up to the end of the letter, parang he said na, ‘My mom told me that you really love me and you really care for me.’ Sabi niya, ‘And I don’t know why up until now, I still don’t call you mommy.’”

“Tapos sabi niya, ‘Happy Mother’s Day, Mom. Love, Ice.’ I was already crying.

Camille emotionally shared her realizations from that moment, saying, “Parang feeling ko wala nang ibang sigurong sasaya pa doon sa pakiramdam na tawagin kang nanay ng taong hindi nanggaling sa iyo. Pag yung nagpakita sa iyo ng pagmamahal at appreciation hindi mo talaga dugo at laman, mas masarap pala yung pakiramdam na iyun. At iyun yung regalo ng Diyos na binigay niya sa akin as I obey Him. Of course, I have so many things that I’m very grateful for, but His love for me is one of the things that I’m most grateful for.”