From a life of fun to fatherhood and family, Markus Paterson opens up on the seismic shift of perspective that makes him proud to be the man he is today.
“Wake up, Papa,” coos Jude Trevor, codified in baby talk, of course, as he playfully shakes his father, Markus Paterson in bed at 6:00 AM. He doesn’t quite stir just yet, but this snippet into the day from the Instagram Story of Janella Salvador speaks volumes of how life has changed drastically for the two. Where perhaps his contemporaries are concerned with only the self, focused on furthering careers, or pushing the limits of a late night as far as the crack of dawn will allow it, the young man’s day is already beginning differently. Today, as it has been for a while now, it isn’t just about him anymore. Everything he does the moment he wakes up is for his son.
“It was always a dream to become a father,” reveals Markus Paterson. Obviously, it was a little earlier than expected, but it was always something he saw for himself. “Just the thought of taking him to his football games or swim meets…Everything about fatherhood attracted me because I had the best father growing up.” There is obviously a lot to him, but first and foremost, he is now Papa. “A lot of first time fathers would agree with me when I say, it’s like a switch just flicks in your mind. When we found out, obviously the shock was there, but the excitement was just overwhelming,” he details, taking us deeper into where his head and heart is at.
Everything happens for a reason, asserts Markus, and right now for him, everything is falling into place.
Related: FOR HIS FIRST SOLO COVER SHOOT, MARKUS PATERSON DIGS DEEP INTO THE LESSONS LEARNED SO FAR
Perspective Shift
It is a lot to take in for anyone at any age, being that raising a child and starting a family is no joke. While it understandably didn’t make sense the first time, with a lot to consider and ponder on in just the first hour of knowing, both Markus and Janella couldn’t wipe the smiles off their faces. Of course, reality eventually sunk in—life was about to change from then on. “I just got out on my teens, I was enjoying my life, and all of that stuff, but there’s beauty in that struggle…raising a kid,” shares Markus Paterson in a filmed interview on YouTube.
“In all seriousness, [it] is frustrating, and there are times where you’re gonna want to pull your hair out, but then again, I just…I see him smile…” He trails off, proving that this love cannot ever be put into words worthy of the feeling, just a smile that captures the unsaid that encompasses the lightness of his soul and the twinkle in his eye.
“If there’s anything that I’ve learned is that it’s a struggle, emotionally, physically,” he says of rearing his son. “I now have this undying gratitude for both of my parents, the sacrifices they made, and everything just to make sure I grew up well-mannered and respectable. It’s so eye opening once you have that love for a son.” A lot of our lives are about navigating the intricacies of love and identity in all its different capacities and realizations. While the timelines are unique for everyone that embarks on this journey of self-actualization, there are moments that compel is to finally understand it much more than the theoretical sense that informs the internet. For Markus Paterson, that coming to terms was expedited by being the family man that he has become.
By Blood
Fully assuming the role of a doting dad, Markus cannot stop talking about Jude Trevor. Not that he remotely wants to talk about anything else. Meanwhile, we are all ears hearing his stories on everything from the nursery rhymes he sings or the food his son eats that he strangely likes, too. “It’s like everything I want to take a picture of, everything I want to post online and be like: Look, it’s my it’s my little boy.”
In the modern equivalent of photo albums at home or appropriately-sized photos wedged in between the wallet, there is a lot of father and son to on the Instagram page of Markus Paterson. He admits to being asked a lot what his favorite moment with Jude Trevor is, but can never really single one out because for him, looking to his eyes, seeing him grow by the day, and every waking moment is a dream.
What he does recall most fondly is the moment he first saw his son in the delivery room. “I couldn’t move, I was frozen,” he shares in the interview on YouTube. “I was just staring at his little scrunched up face, just crying and crying…I feel so accomplished like this is mine, you know? I couldn’t fathom, I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t speak…I was just I was in awe.” We all know the story by now, as made immortal in the walls and whispers of Philippine showbusiness. But while we were made privy to the timeline where Markus and Janella had carved out for themselves, they wanted to introduce this new chapter of their lives on their own terms. “We were both nervous about the reaction of people, ofcourse we’ve both experienced the terrible online world that we have here in the Philippines, but it got to a point where we didn’t want to keep such a beautiful boy from the world, it felt selfish,” says Markus Paterson. “We didn’t do it for anyone else but ourselves. It’s our story to tell, and we decide when to tell it.”
Hey, Jude
In a heartwarming video narrating their life away from the limelight, growing their little family, and maturing in the distance that is the United Kingdom, Markus Paterson and Janella Salvador introduced their son just as they intended to, with so much love.
“It’s a scary kind of love,” he says, trying to properly articulate the breadth of his emotions. “I used to think that it was so cliché, but now that I’m feeling it, I don’t think they do it justice. Like there is nothing that I wouldn’t do in the world for that little human, my flesh and blood. There is no line I wouldn’t cross it to make sure he’s happy or safe or well fed, and it’s a scary feeling, because I’ve never felt that crazy love towards something or someone.” And come some people did, which was a decision made without an ounce of wisdom on the end of the troll.”They can come for me all they want. I’m used to it. But come for my son and I’ll come for blood. We don’t take it to heart, we just usually ignore it now para iwas bad vibes,” he says, obviously much calmer now than when the first blood was drawn.
As heated as it was for him, it all circles back to his son. “Like imagine if he was old enough to read, you know? Imagine if he was old enough to comprehend things he saw online and he saw the things people were saying then. Now, that would break me. It’s just those situations where it just kind of scares us,” he reasons. “They should be more conscious of their conscience if that makes sense? Just be smart, it doesn’t matter if you’re behind a screen, if you’re face-to face with somebody, and you don’t know what they’re going through. You don’t know what’s happening in their lives. If you don’t have anything nice to say, then there might not be a reason to say it.”
Again, as with anything in the exercise of humanity, whether big or small, as in the little bundle of joy of Markus Paterson, kindness and compassion goes a very long way.
Beyond Markus Paterson
Coming a very long way from the young guy who had fun as his first priority, Markus Paterson admits to growing incredibly over the past year. “I wouldn’t even recognize the man I am today because of Jude,” he says, leaning into the seismic shift in his perspectives.
“I’m not the kind of person to usually be proud of myself, but I can say wholeheartedly I’m proud of the man I am now, because of Janella and my son Jude. My priorities, my outlook on life, and perspective on tough situations has changed dramatically and it’s definitely for the better,” he says. Motivated to work even harder, there are many dreams he wants to break ground on. Now, at the top of his goals, he lists “To give my son a comfortable life, and become a respected actor in my craft,” as his priority. While he was always a man of honor and humility, there is now more purpose fitted into his everyday.
These days, the clock ticks faster once Jude wakes him up, With a lot of caring and cooing to get through, it is no longer about the self for him. But instead, all focus is on his beautiful baby boy, his future gentlement, his son. “It means being the world to my son, his very own superhero, his best friend, his teacher, his coach, his everything,” he says of who he is from here on out. No longer just Markus Paterson, but more importantly, Papa to the boy that wakes him promptly at 6:00 AM.
CONTINUE READING: Meet Markus: 9 Things You Need To Know About Markus Paterson
Creative direction ANGELO RAMIREZ DE CARTAGENA
Art direction KENNETH DIMAANO
Fashion and beauty direction, styling LYN ALUMNO
Photography SEVEN BARRETTO
Grooming ARJAY ZURITA
Production Design ERWIN BOTIN
Shoot coordination LOUIS ESGUERRA
Videography KIERAN PUNAY and CHRISTINA ZABAT
Shot on location at STUDIO SEVEN
