WATCH: Aubrey Miles, Troy Montero talk homeschooling, Father's Day during lockdown

MANILA, Philippines — Ahead of the Father’s Day celebration this coming Sunday, celebrity couple Aubrey Miles and Troy Montero gave some advice for parents now seeing more of their kids around the house due to the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

With the lockdown in place, Aubrey and Troy need to keep an eye out for their now-college-student and eldest son Maurie, younger son Hunter who’s in the sixth grade and one-year-old daughter Rocket.

Homeschooling

“With us, we have a college student now. So he's doing his own thing. He has to be on his own, lock his room, so we have nothing to do with it. He'll just say, ‘Mom, food, water’," Aubrey shared in an exclusive interview with Philstar.com organized by Tuason Racing.

Maurie has continued with online courses and has relatively adjusted.

“You know, it's funny because when the school year ended for him... they would continue with the online courses and things like that. And he would complain and go it's different but you know everyone has to adjust. He actually lives in a dorm so that's totally changed. It's great that he's always home now because usually he just comes home on the weekends but he's been able to adjust quite a bit, a bit easily,” Troy recalled.

According to both parents, Hunter has had a more difficult time adjusting due to the lack of face-to-face interaction and guidance from teachers.

“But for the younger one, I think it's definitely harder because even though they use tablets instead of school books, the online thing is really quite difficult,” Troy relayed.

“It's quite an adjustment especially since they really do need the teachers there to explain things and to walk through with them at that age wherein if it's just worksheets or it's just let's say looking at our tablet, you know of course when you're that age you're gonna have a lot of questions so that just falls back to mommy and daddy. And then we're like, 'Oh my God, when's the last time we did like this kind of math?'”

Aubrey added that there are a lot more distractions like toys and television in the home setting.

“So dito we have to be quiet, turn off everything, need to do this, so lahat kami we need to participate also, we have to support.”

Troy said that setting aside time to help out their younger son was crucial given the circumstances.

“And I'll be honest, we're still kind of weighing what we're going to do. I mean obviously there is no face to face school right now for him. It would be online. So we're kind of looking at options right now because...he has to continue with his lessons but it's just so different. I don't wanna be also in a rush...We'll just take it day by day.”

Father's Day

Aubrey said that the family will still stay home on Father’s Day even as quarantine measures relax.

“We are not planning to go out just because it's open now, you can go out. We're still gonna stay home, we're still happy here, we're planning to celebrate our Father's Day here.”

Her message to Troy for Father’s Day? “Get whatever you want. Thank you for being patient to me and to the whole family. Thank you for making me happy, the most happy with you, never change. And I love you. Face to face 'yun ah.”

The lucky man, meanwhile, advised other dads to be proactive when it comes their families.

“I'm not saying you have to be the boss, but you really need to take control of your house in whatever role you need. Whether it's being a tutor for the kids or whether you're helping mom or staying out of her way, you just have to try to be that glue of the house that makes it all stick and makes everything still together.”

He confessed that he’s been trying his best to be that “glue” for his own family and hopes that the crisis could at least bring them closer together.

"Because you know I think...one day when all this goes over, I think I want my house to be better for it. And all of us to you know, if we got closer, maybe there's a chance we even love each other even more because of what has happened.”

Virtual racing with Aubrey and Troy

The ongoing health crisis has changed life as we know it, in more ways than one— including the cancelation and indefinite suspension of sporting events across the globe. But with the eventual reopening of cities and leniency towards previous restrictions, everyone is learning to live a life in the “new normal." While team and contact sports may not have the opportunity to return to this new normal, sports like motor racing are thriving through virtual racing. So while athletes and fans of motorsports await the reopening of their favorite races, they can look forward to getting that same excitement and thrill from virtual races.

Virtual racing may not be a new concept, but it has certainly taken a new shape since the new normal of a locked down society. The Philippines premier Motorsports and Automotive Event management, Tuason Racing leads in providing its racers and fans a replicated racing experience through virtual racing. Using the virtual platform, the racing school recently launched its Race for Frontliners — a series of virtual charity races that aim to raise funds for COVID-19 frontliners, which was created in partnership with Phoenix Pulse Race. With tens of thousands of spectators and over P200,000 raised, the Race for Frontliners proved that there is a space for virtual racing in this new normal.

The racing school will slowly roll out events that will allow enthusiasts to enjoy driving their vehicles safely. This will include activities in the track and consumer event. 

“We are rolling out the future of motorsports in the country, with technology and a passionate fanbase, we can continue to provide this racing experience” said founder and Chief Executive Officer JP Tuason.

There may be a lot of uncertainty concerning the future, but consumers can be assured that Tuason Racing is finding ways to adapt in order to provide its customers a renewed racing experience.