Thanks To Motherhood, Pauleen Luna Conquered One Of Her Greatest Fears

It's a given fact that moms and dads are wired to go to any lengths for their little ones. Most of the time, being a parent means putting your children's needs before your own. And recently, for Pauleen Luna-Sotto, that means facing one of her greatest fears.

When her daughter, Tali Sotto, wanted to ride a zipline, Pauleen was left with no choice but to summon up every ounce of courage in her body to conquer her fear of heights. Posting a video of her and Tali going down the zipline, Pauleen says, "There's a saying that a parent would do anything for their child.... [T]oday I proved that to be true."

She adds that exposure to heights rivals frogs as among the top things that give her the shivers. "I am a brave person in general, but if there's one big fear (pantay sila ng fear of frogs) that is the fear of heights!

"This little girl asked me to ride the zipline with her. I had jello knees sa stairs palang. But I wanted to be brave for her."

As frightening as the experience is for Pauleen, she successfully finished the zipline and even went for a second ride! "Thank God I did not faint!... Proud of you Tali! What a brave little girl!," the celebrity mom shared.

How being a parent makes you a better person

In a 2020 Smart Parenting article, we also featured mommy Jestine Sola-Dahilig, who is a member of our parenting community on Facebook, Smart Parenting Village.
Like Pauleen, Jestine also got to overcame her fear of rat thanks to her daughter whose favorite stuffed toy is that of the rodent.

You'd think that as a parent, it's just you who impart life lessons on your children, but parenthood is actually a humbling experience. In more ways than one, being a parent and the responsibility associated with it, can make you a better person.

Here are ways parenthood becomes a catalyst of positive change to a person:

1. Becoming less selfish, more responsible

Since being a mom or dad, you're no longer the sole center of your life. The responsibility of raising a child pushes you to set a good example for them, even if it means putting your own preferences at the back seat. Case in point: becoming braver and doing things you would not think you'd do before.

2. Becoming more patient and understanding

It goes without saying that your patience meter automatically increases as you enter parenthood. Of course, there are still moments when it feels like your patience meter is reaching the maximum, but most of the time, you try to be considerate and see things from your children's perspective.

3. Appreciating your parents more

Getting the full experience of knowing how much work is involved when you raise your own kids will definitely make you understand and be more grateful for everything your parents have done for you.

Meryll Soriano, who had a rocky relationship with her dad Willie Revillame before, could attest to this.

In an exclusive interview with Smart Parenting, Meryll admits, "When you become a parent, you see both sides. You see what you don't want to do. And you see what you want to adapt sa buhay mo."

We also featured a daughter's love letter to her mom and how becoming a mom herself made her love her mother even more.

She shared how she used to pain her to write 'housewife' as her mom's occupation, but now, "I slowly but surely realized why mom had to be the mom she was to us, especially now that I am raising a 3-year-old daughter...I now realize her job as a housewife is the greatest job ever, and I am thankful she is one."

How about you, moms and dads? In what ways do your children teach you to be better versions of yourselves? Share your answers in the comment section!