
Saab Magalona has revealed the secret to her loving relationship with her sons, Pancho and Vito: gentle parenting.
She raised the discussion on empowering children through healthy communication and independent play in her new YouTube video aired on Tuesday, December 14.
Photo source - @saabmagalona
She shared that speaking in her kids' language and encouraging them to explore are some of the things that help her handle having two “chaotic” toddlers at home.
“I really feel like independent play is so important…Playtime is very natural to them so not telling them what to do really helps their exploration, their discovery, imagination, problem-solving. This all goes hand in hand,” she said.
The celebrity mom also stressed the importance of raising children who aren't afraid of doing new things, saying, “I want my kids to grow up na hindi takot, na hindi laging sinasabihan. I want them to be able to feel confident enough to try things as much as possible.”
According to her, it would help if parents put in the effort to learn how to effectively communicate with their children. In handling Pancho and Vito's tantrums, she observed that verbalizing helps them calm down since it redirects their attention to her words instead of their overwhelming emotions.
While it's easy to feel impatient with toddlers, Saab shared that speaking their language often does the trick.
“I think it's more effective when I say it in a way [they] would understand,” she said.
Saab has previously talked about gentle parenting, citing a time when Vito got upset and threw their smart speaker.
"This is something I learned about gentle parenting: letting our children cry is very painful for us to hear but we shouldn't suppress their emotions. I usually help them process their feelings by verbalizing what I think they feel and why they must be feeling that way," she shared.
Learn more from Saab's video on gentle parenting here:
Meanwhile, get to know more about Pancho and Vito Bacarro in this gallery.