Solenn Heussaff is the first to admit she isn’t the stereotypical “strict mom.”
Opening up in an episode of Fast Talk with Boy Abunda released on January 22, 2026, Solenn spoke candidly about her parenting style.
Asked what kind of mother she is, Solenn didn’t overthink her answer.
“I’m chill,” she said, before quickly adding that the balance in their household comes from contrast.
“Si Nico naman, mas strict depending on what we’re talking about.”
She explained that her husband, Nico Bolzico, is especially firm when it comes to nutrition.
“Super strict siya,” she said, laughing.
Her own approach is more fluid, occasionally transactional in a very mom way: “Ako, I’m more like, ‘Okay, I’ll treat you with an ice cream at the end of the day if you were good to me all day.
“Minsan parang napaka-chaotic ang pagiging nanay.”
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The 40-year-old celebrity mom then shared her take on gentle parenting.
“I tried gentle parenting,” Solenn recalled, referring to the method that focuses on validating children’s emotions through constant explanation and empathy.
“Yung parang, ‘I understand that you’re feeling frustrated and blah blah blah.’”
While she understands the intention behind it, Solenn admitted it didn’t work for their household: “They get their own way. They manipulate us completely.”
For Solenn, the issue was about properly establishing authority and respect during her children’s formative years.
“If they don’t respect you as a parent, then they will step all over you.
“These are their forming years, so you really need to set discipline.”
How Solenn and Nico Discipline Their Kids
When it comes to discipline, Solenn made it clear that physical punishment has no place in their home.
“No,” she said when asked if her kids are ever hit. “Never. Hindi ko kaya.”
She recounted an incident when she accidentally hit her eldest daughter Tili’s arm out of nervous reflex—and how deeply it affected her.
“I was so guilty,” Solenn related. “Sabi ko, ‘Lord, patawarin niyo ako. Di ko talaga sinadya.’”
Instead of punishment through fear, Solenn and her husband Nico rely on timeouts—a structured but firm consequence.
“Timeout is you go to your room,” she explained. “Close the door. You can’t come down.”
The goal, she clarified, is reflection rather than shame.
“Come down when you’re ready, when you’ve thought of what you’ve done,” Solenn added.
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Where Gadgets Come Into the Picture
Timeouts, however, don’t involve “reducing screen time”—not when there are no screens to begin with at all.
Solenn revealed that gadget use is almost nonexistent in their household. Her eldest daughter, now six, still does not own an iPad.
“She doesn’t have an iPad,” Solenn affirmed. “Di ako nagga-gadget sa kanila.”
When Boy asked when her kids would finally get phones, Solenn didn’t hesitate.
“Wala. Never,” she replied. “Their first phone maybe at nine… 18, 19. Sana.”
She even joked that a pager might be more acceptable.
“Kung may pager, baka pager, puwede muna,” she laughed.
Behind the joke, Solenn revealed a frustration shaped by what she often sees when families go out together.
“I see families having dinner together, but not together,” she said. “Yung dad nasa phone, yung mom nasa phone, yung isang baby nasa iPad.”
The sight unsettles her.
“This is so sad,” Solenn added. “This is what we’ve become.”
She spoke about shrinking attention spans, constant overstimulation, and the chase for short-term dopamine.
“We’re always just looking for that fast hit,” she noted. “It’s really sad to look at.”
How Her Own Mother Influenced Her Parenting
Solenn later reflected on how her own upbringing shaped her approach to motherhood.
“I’m the type that talks a lot to my children,” she said, referring to daughters Thylane or “Tili,” 6, and Maëlys or “Maely,” 2.
“I always tell them I love them.”
In fact, she admitted she may say it too often—so much so that Tili eventually intervened.
“My daughter gave me a limit. Sabi niya, ‘Mom, you've already told me that. Stop it. You can only tell me you love me five times a day.’”
Her own mother, she shared, expressed love very differently.
“She made us tough. She’ll say it once in a while, but it’s not something I’ll hear every day.”
Praise, when it came, was usually indirect.
“People would come up to me and say, ‘Your mom’s so proud of you,’” she recalled. “But with me, she’ll never really say it in my face.”
That contrast, Solenn said, made her more conscious of the effort to communicate with and encourage her kids.
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Why She Praises Effort Over Results
As a mother, the emotional investment took Solenn by surprise: “When I became a mom, all my feelings just intensified. If I love, I love more. If I was angry, I was more angry.”
The emotional surge, she admitted, can be disorienting.
“Sometimes you don’t understand what’s happening inside because it’s just an explosion of feelings talaga.
“But I love them to death.”
While Solenn is vocal with affection, she avoids generic praise.
“I don’t say, ‘You’re very good,’” she said. “I think that’s not a good way to bring up a child.”
Instead, she focuses on effort and improvement.
“You don’t praise the result,” she explained. “You praise the effort.”
Using artwork as an example, Solenn shared how she reframes encouragement.
“I won’t say, ‘Ang ganda ng painting mo,’” she said. “I’ll say, ‘Last time you had a hard time doing these steps, and today you did it. That’s a great improvement.’”
For her, the lesson is about progress, not perfection.
Growing Up Around Public Attention
Despite being raised by public figures, Solenn revealed her daughters don’t fully grasp fame yet.
“Minsan si Tili, pag naglalakad kami, people say, ‘Hi!’ She’ll be like, ‘Why is she looking at me?’”
When her children appear in commercials, Solenn makes sure they understand what’s happening.
“I explain to her what she’s doing, then I say, ‘I’m gonna post it.’”
While her kids are aware, there’s still a clear boundary.
“She doesn’t know Instagram,” Solenn said, noting how separation matters especially in a world she feels is moving too fast.
As someone who grew up without phones and now lives in an always-online era, she said she longs for simplicity.
“I sleep at 7 p.m. I wake up at 4 a.m.,” Solenn shared. “I just want simple life.”
And for now, that simple life means structure, presence, and kids who are allowed to grow up without screens dictating their childhood.
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