Janella Salvador And Elisse Joson: Moms Of This Generation

Zillennial moms Janella Salvador and Elisse Joson continue to thrive in the spotlight, while making motherhood look so natural. Balancing both their careers and young families, they are defying parenting stereotypes while learning, growing, and showing up stronger each and every day

Motherhood is an experience heralded by many as both the most rewarding, and also one of the most challenging. It is an exhilarating journey that is as unique as every woman who embarks in it, and one filled with endless love, tireless sacrifice, and moments of complete joy. For young actresses Janella Salvador and Elisse Joson, it is a role they are facing head on, and fulfilling with both gumption and grace as they discover new parts of themselves and their kids.

For Janella, what she cherishes most about motherhood is seeing her 4-year-old son Jude become his own individual self. “I think that’s the most amazing thing about being a parent and being able to watch someone grow. I love that I can be there for him and guide him every step of the way,” she declares.

Elisse, on the other hand, is just as besotted with her 3-year-old daughter Felize. “I think the one main thing that I love about being a mom is just having a little me. Having a little girl just feels like we have an instant connection and that she’s very much a part of me,” she reveals. “She’s my younger self and
my future self at the same time.”

Shifting Gears

The celebrity moms both have stellar careers, having been showbiz mainstays for the better part of the last decade. And while motherhood may have shifted their priorities, they continue to be motivated in cultivating their craft. Janella shares that she is currently shooting a murder mystery series set to debut next year, while also working on her music.

She launched two new singles, “Headtone” and “Hey You,” and will be releasing the full album soon featuring a modern jazz and R&B sound.

As for Elisse, she’s wrapping up the shoot for Saving Grace, where she plays a lawyer who is also the daughter of Sharon Cuneta’s character. She is also busy running a spa business with her mom called Lunchbreak Beauty, and growing the accessories brand, Felizia Jewelry.

With so many things on the plate of these modern go-getters, finding enough time to do everything can sometimes be a challenge. Elisse, who was raised by a single mom (who also happens to be a doctor), would now ask the latter how she was able to do it. “I remember that she would always be there, she was always present. So sabi ko, how were you able to do that, mom?” Elisse recalls. “She said, it just came naturally. As long as you know your priorities, know how to balance, and know what you need to attend to at that moment, that’s how you figure it out.”

She shares that in this generation, women are more career-centered. “I feel like I still have a lot to explore with my career, with what I want to do in life. And to be able to balance that with having a kid, having a family, being a homemaker, it’s a lot,” she admits. “But It’s a fun process, I wouldn’t say it’s a struggle. It’s more of a fun challenge for me.”

With her busy schedule, Janella is facing a lot of the same demands. “When I work, when I go for shoots or taping, I spend a lot of time away from Jude. So I try my best to somehow balance that out. When I am at home, I try my best to really spend as much time as I can with him,” shares the young mom.

Defying Expectations

Being a parent, it seems, is a process of learning, unlearning and relearning. For Elisse, being a mother today has a lot to do with adjusting to how her generation parents.

“Old school parenting is so different from how parents do it now,” she muses. “I feel like I want to take a little bit of how I was brought up back then, and then inject more of how the gentle parenting style is now.”

Nonetheless, she feels blessed to have her reel and real-life partner, McCoy de Leon, to go through parenting with. “Felize’s dad is very hands-on, and I love how our parenting styles balance each one out. He’s more like the disciplinarian, and I’m more of the good cop,” Elisse shares. As a girl mom, she cherishes the fact that she doesn’t have to be as strict, and can be there for Felize as her best friend.

With regards to how they make it work with their acting careers, Elisse shares that they’re taking it one day at a time. “We’re working with whatever we have now,” she says.

These days, their days off are aligned so they can spend time bonding as a family. Elisse shares that she and Felize both love baking and cooking, taking photos together, and even dressing up.

Janella is likewise evolving as a mother, sharing that having a kid earlier in life has many added perks. “I see it as being able to understand him more, because parang we’re growing together. I try to teach him things, but at the same time, I learn so much from being a parent at this age,” she shares. “And I feel like it’s a journey. Masasabayan ko pa yung trip nya, kasi our age gap is not that big. I love it, I feel like I’m experiencing childhood all over again but this time, I’m really experiencing it through his eyes.”

It is indeed a joy to see the 26-year-old Janella, and Jude, being playful with each other at the shoot. Later on, Felize arrives, and after some warming up, starts playing with Jude. Being close in age, and having met at previous events together, both kids have become friends and spent the better part of
the afternoon running around the hotel suite.

A Beautiful Evolution

Motherhood seemingly becomes them, and despite the challenges, both are taking it well in stride and using the lessons they learn each day to deepen their understanding of the craft. “I think now as an actress, I feel like I have so much more depth. I feel things more deeply now that I’m a mom. It feels like it opened up a new emotional range within me,” declares Janella. “Now, when I act, it’s not hard to empathize anymore.”

Elisse herself has felt a positive change, or a leveling up, that’s come with parenthood. “I feel like it helped a lot in terms of maturity. I became more profound as an actor,” the 28-year-old actress reveals. “And going to work every day, I feel like I have a purpose. Because I am now a mom, hindi na pwedeng basta basta lang yung binibigay ko sa work. Because I know that there’s a bigger reason why I’m working, as compared to before.”

On the flip side, even if both moms love their jobs, they also have mixed feelings when they’re away from their kids. “I think now, I just always want to go home. I just want to spend time with Jude,” Janella shares with a laugh.

Nurturing Oneself

Juggling multiple obligations – motherhood, relationships, work, and more — is definitely a daunting task. Thus, despite being busy, Janella and Elisse believe in the value of self-care. “I think it’s very important as a mom, to never forget to take care of yourself. Because I don’t think people are capable of giving if we also don’t pour into ourselves,” declares Janella. “Make sure that you still have time to do things that make you happy, so that your kid also grows up in a happy environment.”

For Janella, this involves working out regularly, which helps with strength and endurance while chasing an active toddler. She also makes sure to visit the dermatologist to keep her skin healthy.

Meanwhile, Elisse is definitely passionate about this as well, and her spa is proof of that. “The reason I chose this kind of business, like a lash, nails, and drip bar is because I actually want to be taking care of myself for a long time. Because I feel like beauty is not just something you take care of on the outside. Looking good is equivalent to feeling good,” she shares. She makes it a point to visit her spa weekly, or at least twice a month, and hopes to expand this coming year with more beauty products.

A Legacy of Healing

Of course, taking care of oneself and one’s family also involves being at peace and healing from generational trauma. It’s a delicate topic for many, but thankfully has become less taboo as society starts to become more awakened to the toxic cycles some of us have inherited. “Our traumas and our inner struggles are mostly caused by our upbringing. And sometimes our parents don’t even realize that they cause so much pain and hurt. They did their best and they, too, are products of their environment growing up,” shares Janella.

It’s the same mindfulness she applies as she co-parents Jude with her former partner Markus Paterson. “Honestly, because I grew up with a broken family, I don’t mind raising Jude together, because he’s our priority. As long as he wants to be there for Jude, I won’t take the opportunity away from him,” states Janella. “Because I believe he still needs his dad. And it’s nice that his dad is making an effort to be present in Jude’s life. So we really try to make it work.”

The actress also shares how she’s teaching her son the importance of boundaries, and making sure he knows that his feelings are important. “Our generation grew up being people pleasers,” Janella shares, opening up to our communal experience of interacting with adults even if we weren’t completely on board as it was regarded as the respectful thing to do. “If you’re not comfortable with something you are being told to or expected to do, you can respectfully decline.”

Thus, when fans want a photo with her child, she makes sure to ask Jude for permission first. “I don’t impose it on him, because he has the right to say no,” she maintains.

Elisse is equally grateful that in this day and age, we are able to talk about these topics out loud. “I feel like I also have a lot to deal with and heal from internally, and I feel it more now that I have a daughter. Which sana, I was able to confront my own personal battles or struggles when I wasn’t a mom yet. I think most moms feel this way, but it really helps that we are aware and we are healing” she shares candidly.

To help break the cycle, she prioritizes being open to Felize, even at 3 years of age. “I try to be open to whatever’s happening in the world, and whatever’s happening with our family. I don’t want to think of her as just a child,” Elisse shares. “I treat her as a human being growing up in this modern world. So my approach is very gentle, very real. And whatever she feels or whatever she thinks, and if she feels like saying it, nothing is wrong or right, as long as she’s not hurting anybody.”

Turning the Page

The principles and tenets of good parenting are indeed evolving and expanding. Gone are the days of trying to be a perfect parent or telling moms that they have to do it all so they can have it all. While it still remains true that most parents always want what’s best for their kids, the moms of this generation are doing things a little differently these days. For instance, they protect their little ones by holding space for all their emotions, even the ones that may not make them popular with some of the titas and titos.

And with both Janella and Elisse completely settled in with their new roles as moms, it’s hard not to ask if they want more kids. Janella shares that it is a bit of a dilemma given the state that world is currently in, but does say with a smile, “I kind of do.”

Elisse, who grew up as an only child, reveals that she kind of wants a big family. “But I feel like sometimes, I can’t give any more of this love to another child because it’s all for Felize. But maybe in the future, I’m not closing any doors,” says Elisse. “But you know, I also kind of want to have a boy,” she giggles.

Janella, like Elisse, wants Jude to carve his own path. “I really just hope, whatever he chooses to do in life, he is good, he’s happy and he’s content. I think contentment is the most important thing in life,” she says, also sharing how she adores her son’s creativity and playful silliness. “My goal is to give Jude a happy childhood. When he is all grown up and looks back on all the times we spent together, I hope that we would have made a lot of happy childhood memories to carry him through life.”

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