Iya Villania On Disciplining The Kids With Drew: ‘Both Of Us Are Willing To Play Bad Cop’

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  Raising three kids — a preschooler, a toddler, and a baby no less — is no walk in the park, but Iya Villania and husband Drew Arellano have found their stride. From disciplining the kids and dealing with their personality changes, the couple have devised some strategies to make parenting a little easier.

  
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  The first important step is establishing a daily routine. “Basta [I] work out in the morning, breakfast after and then feed Alana [before] her first nap, and then anything goes with the two boys,” Iya tells SmartParenting.com.ph.

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  “Depends on what they’re interested to do — from baking, to playing with their magnetic tiles, or Lego,” she adds.

  Dealing with picky eaters

  
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  One of the things that Iya looks forward to the most is cooking for her kids. Her two boys are already at that stage where they are trying to be independent, so they’ve become more opinionated.

  “It really becomes more of a challenge when they have a mind na of their own and can identify and make their own decisions,” Iya shares.

  Iya says she does use Aji-no-moto Umami Seasoning or Aji-Ginisa Flavor Seasoning Mix for their family meals.

  “It’s important that I don’t sacrifice the flavor so that whatever it is, may it be a green veggie or their fave chicken nuggets, they’ll enjoy eating it,” she shares. “I just make sure that it’s a good mix of protein and veggies and that it’s tasty.”

  “For Primo and Leon, they eat what we eat. So, whatever it prepared, however it’s prepared, that’s what they have. Alana’s food doesn’t have any seasonings yet,” she clarifies.

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  Maintaining discipline in the household

  

  Because there are three children in the home, sibling fights are unavoidable. Iya admits it’s Kuya Primo who is more mapagbigay.

  “[It’s] harder for Leon to understand. But because Primo can understand na, we explain to him that because he’s a big boy, he’ll need to be more understanding of his baby bro. That baby bro only wants what he wants because he loves you so much and wants the same,” Iya explains.

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  Luckily, when it comes to their only sister, the two have nothing but love to give. “They don’t get jealous. We never want to give them a reason to be jealous,” Iya shares.

  “They both love Alana so much and shower her with hugs!” she says.

  On their social media accounts, Drew is often seen as the funny, cool, dad. But behind the scenes, Iya shares she and Drew make it a point to be consistent when it comes to disciplining the kids.

  “We try not to be too quick to correct. We try to see what their intention is first,” she shares.

  “But if it’s something that needs to be addressed, both of us are willing to play the bad cop depending on who’s present at the moment it happens,” she adds.

  Iya also got real about her wedding ring not fitting anymore! Click here for the story.

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