Prioritizing Family Helps These Actors’ Kids Thrive

Published: December 9, 2024

Prioritizing Family Helps These Actors’ Kids Thrive

By Movieguide® Contributor

Carlos and Alexa PenaVega say their close family dynamic is why their kids are “thriving.”

“We’re very hands-on with our kids,” Alexa told Movieguide®. “We do homeschool. They don’t really come home with anything new, which is really nice — other than the things that you want them to be learning.”

The couple spoke about some lessons they’ve been teaching to son Kingston, 5.

“Kingston is very emotional, and I think right now it’s really hard, but I think as he grows, it’s going to be a really powerful tool that he’s going to have because he’s so passionate about everything,” Carlos shared.

Alexa added that Kingston can struggle with feeling left out but that she’s been using it as a learning opportunity.

“I have kind of been teaching them a little bit more of the enemy’s secret tactics, of how sometimes the enemy will whisper things to you,” she said, explaining that she’s told her son, “Whenever you feel that way, tell the enemy to back off.”

Alexa continued, “They’re little kids, but they totally understand God. Like, they understand how He works, how He’s there all the time, but I think the one thing we don’t really talk about in faith-filled communities is how the enemy does whisper things to you…I want the kids to be aware that God has authority over all.”

The couple also spoke about the importance of spending time together as a family.

“We try not to spend more than a couple weeks apart,” Carlos explained. “That’s just kind of our rule, and we’ve had to sacrifice opportunities and finances just to make sure that we retain that family dynamic.”

He concluded, “Our kids are thriving because we’re making them a priority.”

That’s something Alexa, a former child star, learned from her own mother.

“I think something my mom did different than a lot of the parents in the industry was that she never compromised family,” she said in an interview with Live Action. “She wanted to make sure that she was the one still raising us, not sending us to set with a manager or with a nanny…She really made sure that we were a tight knit community.”

She added, “So if I had to go film in Austin, Texas, like during SPY KIDS — that was a six-month shoot — we flew as a family unit to Austin. We all moved there. We did the movie and then we came back. And I think there’s something really important about keeping that foundation, especially for young kids.”

The PenaVegas recently moved to Nashville from their houseboat in Maui.

“We’re crazy enough to — just the second the Lord calls us to something, we jump,” Alexa laughed.

They found a house and moved two months later.

“To be honest, He pulled us out of our comfort zone and now more than ever we have to trust and rely on him with everything….BUT, even in the confusion and with so many questions… we cannot wait for this new season with our growing familia,” Alexa concluded.