Solenn Heussaff Gets Real About Discipline, Timeouts, and Raising Screen-Free Kids

Solenn Heussaff doesn’t describe herself as a “strict mom.” In a recent episode of Fast Talk with Boy Abunda that aired on January 22, 2026, she shared how she and husband Nico Bolzico raise their kids, what discipline looks like at home, and why gadgets aren’t part of their children’s daily lives.

solenn heusaff talks about motherhood

Photo: Nico Bolzico

“I’m chill,” Solenn said when asked what kind of mother she is, adding that Nico tends to be the stricter one, especially when it comes to nutrition. Her own style, she shared, is more flexible—and sometimes a little chaotic.

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,’” she said.

Solenn also talked about trying gentle parenting but eventually realizing it didn’t work for their family. “I understand the intention,” she said, “but they get their own way. They manipulate us completely.”

For her, setting boundaries early is important. “These are their forming years, so you really need to set discipline,” she explained.

When it comes to discipline, physical punishment isn’t part of their home.

“No. Never. Hindi ko kaya,” she said.

Instead, she and Nico use timeouts. “Timeout is you go to your room,” Solenn shared. “Come down when you’re ready, when you’ve thought of what you’ve done.”

Gadgets also don’t factor into their household. Her eldest daughter, Tili, doesn’t have an iPad. When asked when her kids might get phones, she joked that maybe when they’re 18 or 19.

Behind the humor, Solenn shared her concern about how often she sees families together but not really present.

“I see families having dinner together, but not together,” she said. “‘Yung lahat nasa phone.”

She also reflected on how her own upbringing shaped her parenting. Unlike her mother, who showed love more quietly, Solenn is openly affectionate with her kids—sometimes to the point that her daughter asks her to stop.

“She told me, ‘Mom, you can only tell me you love me five times a day,’” Solenn said.

While she’s vocal with affection, she avoids generic praise. “You don’t praise the result. You praise the effort,” she explained, using her children’s artwork as an example.

Despite being raised in the public eye, Solenn said her daughters don’t fully understand fame yet and don’t have access to social media.

“She doesn’t know Instagram,” she shared.

Having grown up without phones herself, Solenn said she misses simplicity. “I just want [a] simple life,” she said.

For now, that means structure, presence, and letting her kids grow up without screens shaping their childhood.

ALSO READ: Maja Salvador and Rambo Nuñez Get Real on Parenting in the Age of Social Media


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