Bangs Garcia on parenting without a ‘yaya’: ‘It feels so liberating’
Image: Instagram/@valeriebangsgarcia
Bangs Garcia has taken married life and motherhood in stride after welcoming baby Amelia last December.
The actress currently lives in the United Kingdom with husband Lloyd Birchmore, a Filipino-British businessman. Garcia, 31, revealed that living abroad means they do not have a househelp.
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“I’m proud to say that Lloyd and I are very #HandsOnParents. When I say hands-on, no household help/no yaya (nanny) at all,” she said.
She credits teamwork with her husband for this achievement. “Honestly, I wouldn’t be able to handle it very well if I don’t have a very helpful and thoughtful husband like Lloyd.”
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She pointed out that in Filipino culture, having a nanny is common. And though the extra set of hands is no doubt a huge help, she appreciates doing things on her own. She said that even before marrying Birchmore, she prepared herself to be able to “let go” of her nanny.
“Now that I’m residing here in the UK, I’ve learned to become more independent [because] having a yaya isn’t really practiced here,” she said. “It feels so liberating; it teaches you to become tougher and vastly resilient in life.”
Parenting is now full-time work for Garcia and she appreciates seeing Amelia grow.
“Now, I could never imagine Amelia being looked after by a Yaya ever!” she said.
“It feels so good to be able to watch every inch of her development and be able to bond with her each day, hence, she’s one of the happiest and most affectionate babies I have ever seen!”
She encouraged parents to spend time with their children as it helps with the child’s development and has long-term effects on aspects like health and academic progress.
Garcia has been open about her motherhood journey, from losing baby weight to showing how her husband is a doting dad.
The couple married in 2016 and had a total of three weddings to show their commitment to each other. /ra
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