Upclose with Carrie Lupoli a.k.a "Chief Mum"

Following the success of Fisher-Price "Joy of Learning" workshop (FPJOL) in the Philippines last June 16, 2013 at the Crowne Plaza Manila,  a handful of bloggers were invited for an intimate one-on-one with Ms. Carrie Lupoli. 

Ms. Carrie is a mother of two adorable little girls.  She is an International Parenting and Child Development Consultant, Founder of Live & Learn Asia in Singapore, and a spokesperson for Mattel Fisher Price.   She is also the official "Chief Mum"  for MumCentre.com, a family of parenting websites in Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, and Philippines. 

I didn't know what to expect during the interview since I was invited on the last minute by Moomy Glaiza, but it sure was a wonderful experience.  Even if I have been a volunteer teacher in our church's Sunday School for more than 10 years, I must say I have tons to learn on rearing a child and being a mother.  And now that my husband and I are planning to have our own, I welcome opportunities like this to help me prepare.  

During the interview, Carrie shared her age-appropriate parenting style.  With her daughters age now, she's applying the loving disciplinarian style, which will eventually progress to a different style once they reach a certain age group.  She also stressed the importance of "me-time", finding and/or creating time for yourself to keep you on-top of your game.  A simple daily practice of waking up 30minutes earlier than everybody else in the house for a cup of coffee and quiet time makes a huge difference already (rather than scrambling in the morning).  Ouch! I felt a strong tap on my back when she said this.  I made a mental note of developing this habit immediately.   She also confessed that she also use Ipod/ Itouch to keep her children occupied after dinner when dining out.  But she makes sure she has educational apps for her daughters to enjoy & learn from.

Being the only first time "mom-to-be" in the group, I asked her who were her mentors and how she prepared for motherhood.  She admitted that she struggled having children and was so occupied of being a mom that she didn't have time to prepare for it.  

"I struggled to be pregnant, I kinda had a tricky pregnancy then I had a tricky delivery, and then I ended up adopting my second child, and I've been fighting so hard to get pregnant that I forgot to even check how to be a parent... Like what to expect on the first year... because then I got so busy being a mom that I didn't have time to sit to read..."

This experience is why she is so passionate on helping moms and wants to give practical solutions on preparing their children when they go out to the world.  She also noted how her mom and mother-in-law helped her in the process of raising her children.  In fact, her relationship with her mom improved and grew stronger when she became a mom.  

I love her parting message for moms (and moms-to-be), we have what it takes to be really great moms.  We are doing something awesome.  In times we get frustrated, we just have to step back and see the big picture, we are raising human beings and this is a tremendous amount of responsibility.  And as parents, we need to get ready and prepare early for our children to set them up for success.   Responsible parenting is equals to joyful learning.

(Left -Right) Me, Vance, Cha, Carrie, Glaiza, Monika, Wong Lai Kwan, Brand Mgr of Fisher-Price South East Asia

It was a blessing joining this group of beautiful and inspirational women and hear their inputs on parenthood.  Grabe, is this a sign na ba?  Well, it's never too early to start learning.

As Carrie always says, Live & Learn!

Tin

Ps.  Special thanks to Julie & Liann of Richwell Club for setting up the interview.  For more info visit, www.facebook.com/richwellclub.  Know more about the Fisher Price's Laugh & Learn Collection at   www.FisherPrice.com

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