Last September, I was invited to attend the Smart Parenting (SP) Baby Shower 2015 at Discovery Suites Ortigas. I’ve been a contributing writer to Smart Parenting for around 5 years now, but it was my first time to attend their annual Baby Shower, which is actually open to all expecting moms. I almost couldn’t make it because Anthony was out of town that weekend, but thanks to our ever-reliable “babysitter” (aka my mom and the kids’ devoted and loving Lola), I was able to go. (Praise God for moms, right?!)

I actually almost shed tears when Smart Parenting’s editor-in-chief, Mia Fausto Cruz, and Smartparenting.com.ph’s managing editor, Lei Sison, gave their welcome remarks — I realized these women had been part of my “village” for the past 5 years or so, ever since I started writing for them! 🙂 (Blame it on the preggy hormones! LOL!)

I won’t go into much detail about what went down at the event — because you can read about it all on Smart Parenting’s site, and also on the blogs of other moms who were there: Lally, Dane, Nhessie and Marylaine (who hosted the event).

Me and the other mommy bloggers at the SP Baby Shower. 🙂 Photo grabbed from Lally’s Reflections 🙂 (Thank you, Lally!)

I will, however, share with you 5 important lessons I learned (or rather, re-learned) at the SP Baby Shower. Yes, even if we are already expecting our fourth child, I still picked up a few things here and there that will help me be a better mom to my kids! 🙂 Here they are:

1. Once you become a parent, you need to learn to (always) be humble and open.

To be honest, I came to the SP Baby Shower feeling sort of like a “know-it-all” — I was like, “This is already our FOURTH baby, so I’m pretty sure I don’t really need to hear all the tips that will be shared here!” (Yup, I can be proud like that!)

Well, of course, I was proven wrong. I still learned a lot from the talks, and it was like going through a “refresher” course of sorts for when I have a newborn again (soon, aarrrggghhh, I’m not ready yet!). So, aside from the yummy food served at the Shower, you could say I had a heaping serving of “humble pie”! 😉

2. Getting support from a community or “village” is important.

I don’t know what it is about being with other moms but I usually come away from a “mommy event” feeling refreshed and encouraged. I guess you could say it’s the extrovert side of me that benefits from such gatherings too, but I think any mom out there would pretty much agree that when it comes to parenting, getting support from others is really crucial.

3. Self-care is crucial to your growth (and sanity!) as a parent.

Part of the SP Baby Shower involved a pre-natal yoga session by Urban Ashram Manila, plus a succulent-making workshop by Smart Plants PH. I rarely have “me time” and time to exercise these days, so I realized again how important it is to take care of yourself, especially when you are expecting! Thanks for the reminder, Smart Parenting! 🙂

Sorry, no pics of the yoga and succulent-making sessions, which happened simultaneously — I was busy doing the yoga exercises! :)

4. It’s never too late (or too early!) to put your family’s finances in order.

Regular readers of this site may (or may not! Ha!) know that I am all for financial literacy and learning how to be “truly rich” even in the financial aspect. That’s why I really enjoyed Aya Laraya‘s talk about being “financially ready” for a growing family. Even if I had already heard most of what he said at ‘s financial seminars, it was good to be reminded about the importance of being financially literate and “fit.” 🙂

5. Never underestimate the power of knowing your children’s “love languages.”

The last talk for the Baby Shower was given by Aiza Tabayoyong of the L.O.V.E. Institute. She touched a bit on postpartum depression and discussed love languages in detail. A friend and fellow mom — who was at the SP Baby Shower too (Hello, Ate Sam!) — actually wrote an article about love languages for Smart Parenting before, which you can read here.

Aiza’s talk helped me to remember that I need to make an effort to get to know each and every one of our kids, and to speak to each of them using their respective love languages. It’s super challenging, but I am hoping and praying that — with God’s grace — I will be able to do so, for their benefit. 🙂

Ultimately, I’m grateful to God and to Smart Parenting for the chance to attend this event, and re-learn all these lessons — they are helping me now as we prepare for our baby’s arrival! 🙂 Pray for us, please?

Now, let’s chat! 🙂 What kind of lessons have you learned so far as a parent? I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to leave a comment!