Doug loves playing with his kids, Kendra, Scarlet, and Gavin.
What's your favorite "daddy duty" activity?
I would say for me, [the activity] doesn’t matter, as long as I’m spending time with my kids. We watch movies, and when playtime comes, I go into character not as a dad, but as a kid and play with them. It’s the time that’s spent with them that matters to me.
How far have you gone to make your kids laugh?
(Chuckles) I’ve allowed them to put makeup on me … manicure, pedicure and glitter tattoo all over myself. That’s as far as I’ve gone. As long as I know that it’s going to give them happiness I’m willing to do anything.
Can you tell us about the most serious problem that any of your kids have approached you with? How did you handle it?
It’s not so serious, since they’re still children. Kendra’s 6. But there was an incident that happened at school. Kasi they’re children, they tease each other, and one of her classmates said, "Kendra, you’re so ugly.”
We always reinforce with love, nothing negative. Also when her fans see her when we go out, they’d tell her, "Kendra, you’re so cute” so she got used to affection and attention and there’s just so much love. So she was caught a bit off guard [when she heard that from her classmate] and she was crying.
We sat her down and told her, "Kendra you’re very beautiful, you’re very talented, you have a good heart. You don’t always have to listen to what people say about you. Believe me, even Papa and Mama can’t please everyone all the time. Sometimes your classmates will tease you – just let it exit your ear right away. You know the truth. If someone says something, you tell them, God looks at the heart, not the face."
It’s a good lesson that I wanted to show her that it’s not the outside beauty that matters but what’s in your heart and how you treat others. She listened naman and it hasn’t happened again
How has fatherhood changed you?
I think it’s putting my family ahead of me. It’s a different kind of responsibility, ‘cause growing up I had siblings, but my parents were there [to take care of us].
In college, I learned to take care of myself. I met Cheska and I learned to value our relationship. Then Cheska got pregnant, and when Kendra came out it was such an eye-opener to me. Day 1 pa lang I said, "Wow I’m not a selfish person, but I just realized that THIS was my responsibility from now on and through thick or thin I have to provide for my family, make sure they’re comfortable, showered with love, and teach them about my faith in God.”
It really changed a lot in me, that responsibility of being the head of the family and leading the family.
