Bianca Gonzalez and JC Intal: A Perfect Pairing

When the Smart Parenting team explained the shoot's creative direction to Bianca Gonzalez, she first listened intently, then went all in. Posing around the hotel’s luggage trolley was no problem for the family of four–Bianca, mom of two, host, and podcaster, and JC Intal, a former professional basketball player turned abstract artist, diligently tried to block and pose their two girls, Lucia and Carmen, without requiring instructions. Once it was time to shoot, the couple quietly but promptly slipped into a dynamic duo, ensuring their girls were comfortable and that the team’s request would be honored.

Bianca, lithe and strong, hopped onto the trolley and tried several body-bending poses unassisted. At one point, the couple experimented on their own, trying to nail a fun shot while keeping their girls safe. It was a peek into the Intals’ magic of teaming up. Bianca and JC showed the same connection throughout their first-ever cover shoot with Smart Parenting, a sturdy and gracious partnership that made what needed to be done possible.

“He’s really a gift to us,” Bianca enthuses about JC while she and the two girls play with gift wrapping bows and ribbons. JC was more than willing to act as a Christmas tree to the girls’ holiday decorating, sitting comfortably on the floor while they taped bows and hung ornaments on his ears and fingers, relishing the plight of a girl-dad. “I’m very lucky to have Bianca as my wife, as my partner, kasi she’s very hands-on,” JC says during his interview.

Bianca describes herself as an “unnatural nurturer” and a “‘trying hard’ mom,” which may sound jarring for parents who admire her. What draws one into Bianca’s motherhood is that it isn’t preachy. It’s reflective of her; she interviews and is interviewed often, yet her words do not feel like she is prescribing her way of life. She lives, and their family life becomes inspiring.

Bianca and JC’s two daughters, Carmen and Lucia, are right smack in the middle of the toddler and the teen years. “I would say I’m in the squeezing-the-last-few-years before teenage years,” Bianca says during an online interview a week after the shoot. “We already see signs of being more independent. Our younger daughter [Carmen], thankfully, she’s still fully in the mommy-and-daddy-and-ate-are-my-world phase, although she spends a lot of time with friends on playdates na din.”

The Intals recognize that they’re privileged to design their work life around their kids’ daily schedules, ensuring they can attend all school activities and fulfill both hatid-sundo duties. JC says they even squabble at times over who will pick up the girls if both are available. “We know that konti na lang ‘yung natitirang years that we can enjoy really doing that. Because eventually they’ll have their own schedules already, they’ll have other priorities,” Bianca says.

It’s the bittersweet truth parents must learn to live with—while every day is a new opportunity to experience the joys of parenthood, there are also tiny goodbyes we don’t notice. “Oh my gosh, I miss baby talk so much,” Bianca says. “Si Carmen still has a few bulol words but baby talking and that feeling of figuring out what your child wants to say and the fulfilling feeling of ‘Na-decode mo,’ is an underrated parenting skill and joy. But I'm definitely looking forward to taking more trips with our girls, JC and I. I've already done that [solo trips] with Lucia.”

Being in the glorious middle means Bianca and JC are done with diapers, but they’re not in the notorious hormone-filled puberty years either. At the shoot, both girls were playful. They especially enjoyed a few minutes on the playground with their parents, both visibly accustomed to horsing around with their girls, and both were strong enough to. Midway through the photoshoot, Bianca carried both girls at once. 

The Intals took one girl each at the playground: Bianca played with Carmen at the zip line while JC sat with “Ate”, Lucia, at the bottom of the slide. Teamwork is also how they describe their parenting: both Bianca and JC consume parenting content online and forward each other reels. The latest was on the importance of building self-efficacy in girls. “Parati kaming nag-f-forward ng messages, even ‘yung mga nakikita namin about parenting, mga write-ups, mga studies,” JC says.

“The last one he forwarded me naman was art stuff ng kids. He also forwards mga dad challenges, mga ganun,” Bianca says while reviewing her direct messages. “As in hobby namin, when we see something like a cool parenting tip or things you say to your kids, we love forwarding those.”

When it comes to raising their kids, Bianca and JC have been intentional about giving them opportunities to discover their gifts and interests. Just a week before the interview, they spoke with their daughters about unique skill sets. “I told them that when something is very, very easy for you, that’s actually your superpower. So take note of the things that are very easy for you because that’s your gift. That’s something special about you,” Bianca says.

The girls have tried their hand at a couple of sports, and JC recalls asking Bianca it was worth it—"'yung tennis nagiging parang play date. Nagiging mas matagal pa 'yung daldalan nila sa court. But for me it's about 'yung sense of fun doon sa sport." Bianca says they've also given their kids the space to say no more or try something different, even if they'd already invested time and effort. "Okay, let's try something else. We always tell them, 'At least you tried.'" says Bianca.

On the academic front, Bianca and JC try to 'future-proof' their daughters by choosing an education that focuses on problem-solving, critical thinking, and analytical thinking. “I also am drawn to less rigid ways of assessing. JC and I are both of the thinking that we want our girls to grow up na it's okay if you have a wrong answer," Bianca says. "What matters is that you try to get it right, or you learn what the correct one actually is. Feeling namin that mindset will help them more with whatever crazy things might happen [in the future]."

The Intals recently celebrated their eleventh wedding anniversary, a few weeks after the shoot. Even a few hours with them will reveal their sweetness. “I'm very malambing to Bianca even if the kids, parang they joke around sometimes when I kiss their mom. ‘Ew, ew!’” JC says. "You know naman kids."

“I want them to see how I treat their mom. Of course, it’s not perfect. Minsan there are arguments but I’m very conscious when I raise my voice or when we have small arguments. I make an effort not to do it in front of them,” explains JC. When it does happen, he explains to each child what happened.

Bianca doesn't take their marriage and family life together for granted. “I catch myself sometimes watching the three of them, and I’m thinking, ‘Oh my god, ito pala yun.’ Life can be like this pala,” she says. “It's so nakakapelikula–tapos feeling ko hormonal kasi na-tea-teary-eye ako pag nangyayari ‘yun. I can't believe this is possible.”

Both Bianca and JC are in their forties, and she recognizes that time has matured both their parenting and marriage. “We don’t sweat the small stuff as much. There’s also, in terms of our marriage, a level of security. When one person gets too busy or forgets to do something, it’s not ‘You don’t care about it!’ wala nang ganoong drama kasi it’s just one thing. It’s not like it erases all the other good things you’ve ever done.”

But for both of them, fitness is how growing older has shaped their parenting. “It’s motivation to really stay healthier. Because we want to be able–like ako, I still take pride in carrying my two kids because I’m strong,” Bianca says. “Or showing them that, for example, when we have furniture to assemble, mommy can assemble it too, right? It doesn’t have to be daddy.”

Bianca is a podcaster of Paano Ba To?, a host, and co-founder of She Talks Asia—did we leave anything out? "Driver, PA (personal assistant), tutor, all-around caregiver to the kids, 'yun lang 'yung kulang," Bianca says jokingly. During the shoot, Bianca would coach Lucia and Carmen and help them decide on their clothes. She spoke to them in a gentle voice and would patiently process their thoughts.

There’s a tenderness in Bianca infused with playful energy whenever she speaks to her daughters. Whether she’s being asked an interview question, conversing with her family, or working, she remains fully present and intentional with her words and actions. She may wear many hats and juggle several projects, but it never feels as if her attention is divided.

“I don’t think I’ve ever shared this story," Bianca starts when asked about working motherhood. She recounts a recent bedtime with Lucia, which is an important ritual for Intals, and Bianca’s schedule didn’t allow her to tuck them in for several consecutive days.

“And then Lucia told me, ‘When you're 50, can you be a home mom?’ Nag-tinginan talaga kami ni JC and my heart kind of froze,” Bianca recalls. “I knew exactly why she said that, I didn't have to ask her but I remember I just hugged her and then I said, ‘Oh, I understand. I also want to spend all my time with you, but right now I must go to work.’”

Bianca didn’t settle it with Lucia in that moment; she allowed herself to process it and spoke to her daughter the next day. She recalls explaining with these words, “You know what, Lucia? Mommy’s work is such a big part of her. I love being your mama, but at the same time, I love the work that I do, and I’m so lucky to get to do work that I love.”

She adds, “I work because mommy and daddy help each other to provide for the family but also it’s because it’s what makes me feel fulfilled. It’s what I like doing, and my hope is that when you grow up, you find what it is that you want to do.”

It’s a difficult conversation to have with a child, but Bianca shows that two things can co-exist: mothers can mother, and mothers can yearn for fulfillment. While she dubs herself as ‘trying-hard’, it’s this exact honesty and being unafraid–but also not too ready–to show the struggle, that makes her motherhood encouraging. And it takes a true partnership, just like Bianca and JC's, to carve out a parenting path that is wholly your own.

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Produced by the Smart Parenting Team

Editor-in-Chief: Ronna Capili Bonifacio

Asst. Managing Editor/Co-Producer: Em Cruz

Assisted by Hanna Panoringan

Art Director: Yela Lao

Associate Video Director: Ariza Adoptante

Videographer and Video Editor: Rolando Pingco Jr.

Shoot Assistant: Mack Saburnido

Interns: Selmich Tomias, KT Bautista

Associate Publisher: Bettina Santos

Photographs by Jorem Catilo

Makeup by Gery Penaso

Hairstyle by Russell Gonzaga

Styling by Em Millan

Clothes from Mango, Mango Man, Mango Kids (thanks to Cai)
Special thanks to Anko

Shot on location at The Excelsior Hotel