Two-year-old Julian Francisco V. Estigoy from Bur Dubai will blow your mind with the many things that he has already learned at his young age.
For starters, he can already name the 50 states of America, 7 continents, 7 Emirates of the UAE, count numbers in five different languages and sing the national anthem of United Arab Emirates “Ishy Bilady.”
His parents, Russel Cabangbang Estigoy and Mary Grace Valdez Estigoy are both Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who hails from San Fernando, La Union.
They shared how difficult it was for them to conceive which is why having baby Julian for them is a blessing. They consider his ability to learn really fast as a bonus. Baby Julian is now 2 years and 10 months old.
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“We believe that it is every parent’s dream to have a healthy baby and being bright is just a bonus. But when our Baby Julian started to show signs that he is really ahead or advanced, we felt very proud and na-realize namin na it is all worth the wait because it took us almost 5 years for us to get pregnant, and ito na, God blessed us abundantly with a bright son,” shared Russel and Mary Grace.
Russel works as a Sous Chef while Mary Grace juggles motherhood with being an Admin Officer.
The two shared in an interview with The Filipino Times that they first noticed his love for learning when Julian was only 1 year and 3 months old.
“As a parent, we always look forward to our baby’s milestones though some of it hindi namin nawi-witness with our own eyes because we are both working. One night, nasa 15months si baby nun, I have my Flash Cards with me with Alphabets, I just randomly showed it to him then he starts answering like hindi rin ako makapaniwala na alam niya kasi wala naman nagturo aside from nanonood lang muna siya,” said Mary Grace.
Apart from the usual ABC’s, Julian can name countries, animals, halloween-related items, and dinosaurs in alphabetical order.
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“I prayed actually na sana maging matalino siya and it just came so naturally on him na nabibigla nalang kami as time passes by, nakakamemorize na pala siya in alphabetical or chronological order,” said Estigoy.
Read: Meet the 2-year-old baby from Abu Dhabi who can already read, count to 50, and knows the planets
When asked what’s the secret to their baby’s smartness, they point out healthy eating habits during pregnancy.
“As a parent, I think one of the contributing factors kung bakit naging super smart si baby is my well-being during pregnancy, not missing Doctor’s Appointment and taking those needed vitamins and nutrients para maging malusog si baby, eating healthy as well and lagi ako nakikinig sa music and lots of reading. And another thing is yung pag-ga-guide namin sa kanya as he grows up, na I reached to a point I invested lots on educational toys so growing up natututo siya, we let him watched on TV with our supervision,” shared Mary Grace Estigoy.
Currently, baby Julian’s diet includes fruits and he loves soup.
“He normally eats with us, rice (sinangag) and water is life sa kanya, kung ano yung food namin may it be isda, gulay or chicken kinakain niya importante may sabaw. Favorite niya mag snack ng Banana and Apple, Crackers and Yogurt,” shared his mom, Mary Grace.
The couple’s advise to other parents is to have consistency in giving time and guiding their children. They recommend focusing on kids especially at the age of 1-6 as this is when their brains are like sponges.
“Naniniwala ako that our kids have their own unique skills and abilities. Our advise sa mga kagaya naming parents and soon-to-be parents, is just to enjoy and guide them as they grow. I know mahirap para sa ibang parents na kagaya kong ofw, or parents who have been working out there for a living. I have come to the realization that kids starts to learn at home kaya kahit anong pagod ko sa full time work ko, constant yan na meron akong atleast 10-20 minutes every night, and on my off we’ll go beach or park or sometimes mall just to play,” shared Russel and Mary Grace.
Currently, baby Julian is into country flags of the world and capital cities. He can also read books, count in Korean, French, Arabic, Spanish, Tagalog & Iloko and sing the whole song “Can’t Help Falling In love” & Unchained Melody, Bahay Kubo, and Lupang Hinirang.
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