Sunshine Cruz and her three beautiful daughters

SEPTEMBER will always have a special significance in Sunshine Cruz’s heart. It was just two years ago that petition to annul her marriage to fellow actor Cesar Montano was granted (the couple separated around seven years ago).

From a plain housewife, Sunshine, who belongs to the famous Cruz showbiz clan, was thrust into the role of father-mother and breadwinner for her family after her separation from Montano. And it took a lot of adjustments from everyone, especially her daughters Angelina, Samantha and Francheska.

“The hardest part of raising them alone is noong time na kailangan ko mag-work full time but I also have to be there for them. They had gotten used to my being with them at home all the time. My task as a plain housewife was to just take care of my family; 13 years of routine then suddenly everything changed. At first, hindi nila maintindihan why I had to leave and go home late or morning na,” Sunshine said in a recent interview with my good friend Ricky Lo for his Funfare column in the Philippine Star.

“But thank God, my children are understanding and smart kids. I made them understand and be thankful kapag may opportunity for work si mommy kasi that’s what gives us food on the table. Naintindihan naman nila and sila pa ang No. 1 supporter ko kapag may projects ako,” she added.

A household with three girls may seem ideal for Sunshine – and it is, owing to the fact that she gets along like a barkada with her children who are in their teens – but she is glad that her children listen when she has something to say.

“We are like barkadas most of the time. We joke around, naglalambingan at kulitan but when I need to be strict, they must listen and follow my rules. I am grateful that they are respectful children,” Sunshine related.

“We don’t hide secrets from each other, we always have to be honest. We share and discuss whatever bothers us. I always tell them walang magulang na ayaw mapabuti ang mga anak kaya if something bothers you, I am always here to help, protect and support them whatever issues or whatever worries them. They cannot go out of the house without my permission and I should always know the friends they hang out with. But I always remind them that school should always be their top priority. Napaka-importante para sa akin ang makatapos sila ng pag aaral,” the actress continued.

“I always tell them to learn from their mom’s mistakes. Hahahaha!!! I did not listen to my mom before kaya huwag gumaya sa pagkakamali ko. Don’t be in a hurry dahil mga bata pa kayo. Magtapos muna ng pag aaral at sana maghanap ng magandang trabaho. Darating ang oras para sa love. Sana makinig sila sakin. Always praying that they will choose whatever is best for them,” Sunshine further said.

The ”Love Thy Woman” teleserye actress understands if her daughters follow her steps and go into showbiz. And though she feels gossip can affect anyone at any age, she is hopeful that her daughters will be able to handle it.

“Honestly, wala namang nakakatakas sa ganyan, especially fake news na masyadong personal. I’m 43 and I still get hurt or affected. I want to think my kids are stronger and smarter than me. Palagi kong pinagdarasal ang safety nila and to always protect their hearts and mind. And that they will always choose their battles even online,” Sunshine explained, while adding that her three daughters are very good singers.

Any lessons she learned from her parents that she applies to her kids?

“To always have an open communication with the kids, don’t be overly strict and always listen to what they have to say kapag may misunderstanding kami,” Sunshine replied.

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Former Miss World winner Megan Young recently admitted to having a diva past, if you could call it that, in a recent vlog post according to PEP.ph.

She was not even 21 then, Young recalled, and thought that she was just being outspoken. Young said she had no intention of being a diva.

“I was working on a show and I didn’t know how to make pakisama. [At] the back of my head, I was just thinking na, ‘Ok, I’ll go to work. If I don’t like something, I’ll tell people that I don’t like it.’ But I didn’t realize that there was a nicer way of saying things,” Megan said.

A production assistant made her aware that she was being touted as a diva and hard to work with.

“It even came to a point where my PA, at that time, told me, ‘No one wants to do your makeup because you’re such a diva. Because you always make reklamo and you always, like, say you don’t like this, you don’t like that.’ “And I was like, ‘Ohh,’ I felt so bad after that,” Young revealed.

She apologized to the people she offended after being made aware of the situation, which she chalked up to her ignorance and not knowing how to communicate her wishes in a better way.

“It was ignorance and it was me not knowing any better,” Megan said. “At the end of the day, I wasn’t being a nice person. I wasn’t being a good person and I didn’t have the proper guidance from the people around me at that time.”