Marian Rivera has nothing but pride for her daughter Zia Dantes' down-to-earth lifestyle.
Zia turned eight on November 23, 2023 but celebrated her birthday on November 25, which happened to be the date of Marian's cooking event for Aji-Ginisa.
Asked about her present to Zia, the 39-year-old actress said that it was rather a very modest gift.
"Eto yung anak ko, mahilig iyan sa mga notebook ngayon, saka yung mga paggawa ng mga bracelet.
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"Basta ang hilig niya sa crafts talaga ngayon. So yung mga gunting-gunting, talagang mga simpleng ganun yung mga gusto niya."
After being commended for raising a simple daughter who is not "maluho," Marian quickly responded while laughing, "Mabuti naman, mabuti naman."
She clarified, "Malinaw sa kanya na ang bawat pagkilos at bawat pagbili ay pinagtatrabahuan ng perang kinikita. That's it.
"Parang hindi pa naman siya ganun. Kumbaga parang mas focused siya sa school, e, sa mga classmates niya.
"Andami kasi niyang activities din sa school. Actually andami, kaka-perform lang niya sa theater, kumanta siya last week.
"Basta may mga ganun siya sa school, very busy din siya."
During Marian's cooking demo, she mixed freshly-made French fries with the seasoning mix—an idea she credited to her firstborn with Dingdong Dantes.
The mother-and-daughter duo regularly bond over cooking sessions.
And Zia wouldn't have probably brought up the idea if Marian did not encourage her daughter to be vocal about what she thinks and how she feels.
Communication is a crucial factor in marian's parenting style.
Marian explained, "Nakatulong talaga sa akin as a mom na very vocal ang mga anak ko.
"Ngayon, nabibigyan natin sila ng free will na gawin at sabihin yung mga nasa isip at puso nila.
"Mahalaga kasi sa akin na nalalaman kung ano ang opinyon nila."
Read: Marian Rivera eager to be "aligagang nanay" to her school-bound kids
The celebrity mom also emphasized the value of being present in her kids' life, and vice versa:
"Ang ganda na involved ang mga anak ko.
"Gusto ko na transparent sila sa akin para anything na may kailangan sila, kaya kong agapan ang mga sitwasyon na ito."
She does not want her kids to hide things from her.
"Kasi mas maganda siguro na open ang anak mo sa iyo, ke maganda yung nangyayari, ke hindi.
"At least may awareness ka kung paano mo sila papalakihin nang maayos, paano mo poprotektahan sa mundong ito.
"So mas maganda talaga na open communication. Ke magagalit ka sa sasabihin nila, ke matutuwa ka, at least hindi sila matatakot na magsabi. Yun yung mahalaga."
Read: Marian Rivera, in-assign si Zia sa pag-aalaga kay Sixto habang nasa trabaho siya
Is Marian a disciplinarian?
"Strict ako, pero malambing kasi akong nanay, e. So kapag may mali, mali.
"Kasi ang mali, di mo puwedeng sabihing tama. Paano nila malalaman?
"At walang ibang magsasabi sa mga anak nila na mali iyan kundi ang mga magulang. So mas maganda yung ganon, e.
"Kung halimbawa, sasabihin nila, 'Mama, I wanna tell you something, but don't get mad.'"
And this would be Marian's reply: "Anak, kung magagalit si mama, magagalit ako. Kung walang dahilan para magalit, hindi ako magagalit."
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