How Toni found peace in Baby Seve’s world

MANILA, Philippines — When Toni Gonzaga arrived for interview as Pampers newest endorser at Le Petit Souffle at SM Megamall, she was all dolled up in a turquoise pantsuit and high-heeled gladiator sandals. Clutched in her arms was her adorable one-year-old son, Seve; behind them a small army of assistants.

She’s every inch a superstar mom, walking regally and beaming with pride as she coached Seve to say hi and hello to press people and bloggers eagerly waiting for them. Toni and Seve were to grace the Grand Baby Fair at the Megamall.

It won’t be long before the first-time mother would shed her sophisticated image. Like any ordinary mom, she started running after her hyper boy, picking him up and even getting down on her knees to make sure he won’t hurt himself.

Toni’s husband, the newly-minted Metro Manila Film Festival Best Director (for Siargao), Paul Soriano, arrived shortly and began his daddy duties, as Toni gave one-on-one interviews.

“Every day, I’m surprised at how you can learn a lot from a baby,” Toni told The STAR. “I learn a lot about love, patience, motherhood. My whole world now has a new meaning because of Seve. He is the greatest teacher that I’ve ever dealt with in my life.”

Since Seve’s birth, The Last Night and You’re The Boss star said she also has learned to let go of the petty things that used to ruin her mood. Gone are the days, she said, when she would easily get upset or overreact with netizens criticizing her at every turn.

“You just let go of the small things and you don’t give them much attention anymore,” she said. “Wala na talaga. I couldn’t care less. It’s like you don’t care anymore what the world thinks about me for as long as my baby thinks that I’m a good mom. I’d rather get validation from Seve.”

Surprisingly, noted Toni, the number of her bashers has dwindled significantly since Seve came into her life.

The Soriano family: Paul, Toni and Seve at the Grand Baby Fair at SM Megamall.

“Many of them have begun respecting my space ever since I became a mom,” she disclosed. “And I’m thankful.”

“Of course, there are still those who would go out of their way to make you feel bad,” the Home Sweetie Home lead star and Pilipinas Got Talent co-host added. “But you know what, it’s better to look at and enjoy your baby and count your many blessings rather than read the negative comments.”

Seve, according to Toni, also gave her a whole new perspective of the world.

“I used to be a worrier when I was pregnant,” she revealed. “I worried about how I was gonna raise my kid, how he’s gonna live in this world with so much negativity, or what the world is gonna be like when Seve grows up.”

“But when Seve came out, I just realized that everything’s gonna be okay for as long as I know I have God who will take care of us,” she said. 

She continued: “The world will keep on changing and evolving and that’s something beyond our control. I just wish my son will grow up with fear of the Lord, with respect, with humility and full of love for others.”

During the Grand Baby Fair, Toni, like an engaging TV host that she is, talked enthusiastically to all the moms and even dads about Pampers technology and shared her remarkable experience with the brand that provides her son more comfort and freedom to move around.

“Not all diapers are built equal,” she told an enamored crowd, while Seve ran around the stage with his dad and a nanny watching him closely. “The new Pampers Baby Dry, with its magic gel channels, is able to absorb wetness evenly and distribute it throughout the whole diaper. The technology makes the diaper thinner and drier, putting an end to sagging or lawlaw, so babies are ready to go galaw as soon as they wake up in the morning.”