MANILA, Philippines?She says motherhood has definitely made her a better person.

Mickey Ferriols, actress and former noontime TV host, was beaming when she met with entertainment writers recently. Trotting right behind her was 2-year-old Brent Marcus, her son by Archie Alemania, also a TV program host.

?I could not leave [Brent Marcus] at home because Archie had a scheduled taping,? said Mickey. It was the press con for ?Kung Fu Kids,? her newest TV series on ABS-CBN. ?He has a yaya, but mas gusto ko pa rin ?yung nakikita ko s?ya.?

Mickey said Brent seems to have taken after his daddy. ?Parehong makulit," she said. "And they walk the same way, and have the same mannerisms.?

In this short exchange, Mickey discussed her struggles, and joys, as a first-time mother.

How?s it going?

Ang sarap ng motherhood! Mahirap na masarap. I wouldn?t trade it for anything. When I was single, I just did what I wanted, bought whatever I fancied. Now, I feel like I have a [clearer] purpose in doing things.

Is any part of it difficult?

?Yung nangungulit s?ya. It?s tough when I have to leave him behind for taping or out-of-town engagements. It?s hard to give up my time with him in order for me to work. I try to bring him along whenever possible.

Since you and Archie are both in show biz, would you rather that Brent pursued a different career?

I have no problem with Brent being in show biz. It?s Archie who may have second thoughts. He always tells me, ?Alam mo naman kung gaano kahirap ang work natin. Would you like Brent to go through this?"

How is the marriage so far?

Maganda ang pasok ng taon for us. Last year was a period of resolving a lot of personal issues ? mostly jealousy and differences in attitude. We know each other better now, how to handle our problems. Graduate na kami sa selos.

Are you saying the adjustment is complete?

It?s still a learning process, but now, we?ve learned to let go of the little things. Hindi konting kibot lang, away na.

Can you share with us your love story?

We met on the set of [the former Kapamilya noontime show] ?Masayang Tanghali Bayan,? where we were both hosts. I was there ahead of him. He came in with Joross (Gamboa). Back then, I would notice that he?d say hello to all the co-hosts but not to me. I wondered, ?Bakit kaya? Anong problema nito?? One day he admitted that he was just shy when I was around because he liked me. He said I intimidated him. After that, we started going out. Actually, I started feeling attracted to him when I saw him dance for the first time. Ang galing! We?ve been together since late 2004.

What was the lowest point in your relationship so far?

That would be was when I was pregnant. I still feel like crying whenever I talk about this. It was the time when I was supposed to do a teleserye with Bea (Alonzo), but had to turn it down because I was two weeks in the family way. I felt bad turning that project down, but it was a choice between career and family.

It got worse when I started gaining weight and my savings were running out. While this was happening, tuloy-tuloy naman ang trabaho ni Archie. I was happy for him, but I felt insecure. My self-confidence nose-dived. I was just at home while Archie was exposed to beautiful girls. Whenever he got home from work, eto na si Taba, nagseselos, then we?d inevitably fight.

Now that you say you?ve resolved basic differences, what have you learned?

I realized what my priority really was: raising my family. Sometimes, in this kind of work it?s very easy to get affected by outside factors. I admit, I was very distracted by my own jealousy. Oftentimes, my emotions would get the better of me. I learned that I had to stay on track, just be focused. No matter how difficult the problem was, I had to face it.

Archie listens more to me now. We used to argue about his own ?distractions.? He?s a few years younger than me. While we?re both thrilled about what?s happening in his career, he gets sidetracked by his barkada and needless spending. He?s wizened up. Instead of spending on car accessories or on shoes ? his two obsessions ? he now saves the money for more important things. I?ve noticed that he?s taken all my advice to heart.

How satisfied are you with your career at present?

I?m very thankful to ABS-CBN. Hindi nila ako nakakalimutan. I?m excited to be doing a movie with Ate Shawie (Sharon Cuneta). The working title is ?Caregiver.? I play her sister. Even if I get to work on the film for only three or four shooting days, I?m still thrilled to be working with Ate Shawie again. (Mickey first worked with Sharon in ?Kung Ako Na Lang Sana, in 2003.?)

Email mcruz@inquirer.com.ph