For Anne Curtis and Erwan Heussaff, the habits that shape a good life are not learned all at once. Instead, they are built through small, everyday moments at home. In partnership with Manulife Philippines, the couple is sharing how they are guiding their daughter, Dahlia, through two important lessons that are meant to stay with her for years: eating well and managing money wisely.
For the couple, these lessons begin at home and are incorporated into Dahlia’s everyday routine. From the food placed inside her lunchbox to the way she learns about saving, spending, and giving, ordinary moments are being turned into opportunities to build healthy and responsible habits.
Healthy choices, one baon at a time
Inside Dahlia’s lunchbox is a small lesson in balance. There is something fresh, something filling, and a little something fun. Fruit or vegetables provide vitamins, rice or bread provide energy, protein helps her grow, and a treat gives her something to enjoy.
The approach reflects how Anne Curtis and Erwan Heussaff are introducing healthy choices to Dahlia through simple and familiar routines. Rather than treating health and wellness as something complicated, the family incorporates balanced choices into an everyday part of childhood.
For Erwan, introducing this perspective early is important. He believes that children can begin learning how to listen to their bodies and take care of their health while they are still young.
“With Manulife as our family’s health and wellness partner, we know how important balance is. Listen to your body and treat it well. It’s time to move today, because it’s never too early to start taking care of your health for the long run,” said Erwan in the video posted on his and Manulife Philippines’ social media pages.
The message connects the everyday choices made at home with the longer-term importance of health and wellness. For the family, a balanced meal and simple healthy habits become part of a larger lesson about taking care of oneself over time.
Money lessons made simple
Anne and Erwan also believe that a good life isn’t just defined by eating healthy. Financial habits are another important part of the lessons they are introducing to Dahlia while she is young.
Anne’s latest video shows that at the age of six, Dahlia is being raised to be a “Peso Smart” kid. The lessons are presented through ordinary activities that can help make money concepts easier for a child to understand.
One example is the way Dahlia sorts coins into three small piles: one to save, one to spend, and one to give. Through this simple activity, saving, spending, and giving become familiar concepts within the household.
In Anne and Erwan’s home, prices are also talked about openly rather than being hidden. When Dahlia wants a toy, the situation becomes an opportunity to learn about patience and saving. She can wait and save for the toy, or she can earn it through chores beyond her usual ones.
These everyday experiences allow Dahlia to gradually learn how responsible financial decisions can be made. Instead of waiting for money lessons to become part of school, Anne believes that parents can introduce these concepts at home while children are still young.
“You don’t need to wait for kids to learn about money in school. You can teach them young, and in your home,” Anne says. “I’ve been preparing for Dahlia’s future since before she was born, because the earlier you start, the more ready you are for life’s twists and turns. People are living longer now, and that is a gift—but it also means planning further ahead. Teaching her to save today is really about giving her the freedom to enjoy a long life on her own terms.”
The lesson is centered on preparing Dahlia for the future by making financial awareness part of her everyday life. Saving money becomes more than simply setting coins aside. It becomes an early habit connected to preparation, responsibility, and having greater freedom later in life.
Small steps that last a lifetime
Behind Anne and Erwan’s lessons with Dahlia is a belief that well-being, whether in health or in finances, is rarely the result of one big decision. Instead, it grows from steady choices repeated over time.
A balanced meal today can become part of a healthier lifestyle in adulthood. In the same way, a few coins set aside now can gradually become a habit of financial preparedness in the long term. For the family, these small steps demonstrate how everyday decisions can contribute to a child’s future.
This is the idea at the heart of ManulifeMOVE, Manulife’s holistic health and wellness program designed to help customers take charge of their well-being and enjoy a better, longer life.
Through the Manulife App, ManulifeMOVE brings together practical health insights and exclusive perks from trusted partners across preventive care, treatment, and recovery. These are backed by comprehensive health plans that protect families from early diagnosis to recovery.
The program reflects how Manulife sees its role as a lifelong partner supporting Filipinos through every life stage. The focus on health and financial confidence also connects with the lessons Anne Curtis and Erwan Heussaff are introducing to Dahlia at home.
“At Manulife, we believe better health and financial confidence are built through the everyday choices families make. Anne and Erwan show how healthy habits and smart money decisions can start at home, in simple moments that children can carry with them as they grow,” said Joy Concepcion, Chief Marketing Officer, Manulife Philippines.
Concepcion added, “We want to empower Filipino families to take those first meaningful steps early, giving them the confidence to prepare for the future and develop habits that lead to better health and financial resilience. Anchored by the Manulife Longevity Institute, we are deepening our understanding of longevity and translating these insights into solutions that equip Filipinos to live longer, healthier, and more financially secure lives.”
For Anne and Erwan, teaching Dahlia about healthy choices and responsible money habits is ultimately about creating lessons that can grow with her. The family’s approach shows how simple routines at home can introduce children to ideas around health, wellness, saving, spending, giving, and preparing for the future.
The lessons do not depend on one major moment. They are introduced through the food in a lunchbox, the coins placed into different piles, the conversations around prices, and the choices Dahlia makes when she wants something. These small moments form part of the couple’s approach to helping their daughter develop habits that can stay with her as she grows.
To learn more about ManulifeMOVE and Manulife’s suite of health and life protection plans, visit manulife.com/ph or speak with a Manulife financial advisor.
