11 Pieces of Parenting Experience from Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker has been a mom long enough to be able to share a few hints from her parenting ways. Parker is universally known as fashion-minded columnist Carrie Bradshaw on the HBO romantic sitcom Sex and the City. While Carrie doesn’t get round to bearing a child, Parker and her husband Matthew Broderick have an elder son, James Wilkie, and twins, delivered via surrogate, Marion Loretta Elwell, and Tabitha Hodge. So, Parker is in for quite a lot of parenting.
All parents work out their own rules to rear their children, to keep them amused, to make sure they are healthy and safe. Some of these rules may be fairly weird, or they may be conventional and handed down through centuries. Now Parker and Broderick are undoubtedly loving and caring parents who have helpful parenting tricks up their sleeves. It will be worth our while to look more closely at how Parker rules her household.
They do without live-in help
Neither Sarah Jessica Parker nor Matthew Broderick can be very free with their time; in this case people hire help who moves in and provides care whenever it is needed. But it’s not for Parker who would rather stay with the kids as much as she possibly can. Needless to say, she can’t do it very often, so there is a babysitter and a nanny to look after the son and the twins, but their services are required only if both Parker and Broderick are away. It is usually the babysitter who waits for James after school, but in the evenings the parents do their best to be home with their kids.
They spend time outside as often as they can
Many celebrities are wary of taking their children outside because there are big chances they can be waylaid by paparazzi; Parker doesn’t seem to fear that at all. The actress takes her children out to the playgrounds of New York whenever she can, although it may mean they won’t be able to enjoy their privacy. Yet she came to terms with this and decided that being a celebrity oughtn’t to prevent her from having quality time in playgrounds with her kids, paparazzi or no paparazzi. She wants to be a good mother so she overcomes objections and does what she thinks is right for her children.
They often have private time together
According to Sarah Jessica Parker, there’s nothing she likes better than the times when the whole family is at home and there’s nobody else. As the workday nears its end and the help walks out, the family get together and watch cartoons or the children’s favorite programs, play all kinds of games, enjoy music or do anything else that comes to mind. Being extremely busy, Parker and Broderick appreciate such opportunities; for they don’t want to place a job above family values.
They see that the staff adheres to household rules
Although Parker and Broderick don’t have help who are in permanent residence, those who come in to look after the children are bound to abide by established rules. Due to a leakage from a member of the staff, we get to hear about some household requirements. There have to be specific kinds of face wash and body wash in the children’s showers, and as soon as they run out, the staff has to get a full bottle, but not store them in advance, just purchase a new one for each emptied one. Then, when the children developed pinkeye, there were very precise instructions from Parker on the way to administer the medicine and how exactly the children are supposed to blink.
They don’t always give the kids what they want
The actress well remembers the time when, as a girl, she couldn’t get what she liked because her mother just couldn’t afford to buy her what she asked. This experience taught her to understand the concept of money. Nowadays she applies the same principle to her children and now and again denies them some of the things they want so they could appreciate the things they have better. If they get what they desire instantly they will take it for granted that things come to them easily. That also goes to teach them that it’s necessary to work and earn money in order to fulfil one’s wishes. Parker believes that if the things you want do not come to you at once, you learn to value them better.
They often dress casually
Sarah Jessica Parker used to appear everywhere dressed in designer clothes and wearing high heels, yet now she is a mom, she came to realize the usefulness of casual clothing. You won’t like to be dressed up when you are about to play around with your children. So Parker, when going out to a park with her offspring, dons some sneakers and a sweater, or whatever can make her feel comfortable. That’s one of her lessons for the kids: sometimes you must try your utmost to look great, but there are times when all you need is to feel comfortable and composed. It’s not always a question of putting on makeup or getting the trendiest accessories and footwear.
They seek no competitions
While certain mothers have an on-going struggle with their own parenting, honing their style to live up to theirs – or somebody else’s – expectations, Sarah Jessica Parker is definitely not in. In her opinion, people should give one another a break, in rearing kids in particular. You just bring them up as you feel you must, without engaging yourself in inner arguments over what would be scientifically better for your child. Parker is sure that while your kid is happy, everything else does not matter that much. Then there is no desire to try to be better than other parents, you do what you believe is right to do. Besides, she explains to her children that other people can say anything they like, and it’s no use listening to all of it. Instead of trying to listen to all the people around, live in peace.
They never play up things
Sarah Jessica Parker firmly believes that your family will be happy if you don’t pay that much attention to things that are of no importance. People who play everything up and act as if it were a big deal are nervous and liable to provoke conflicts with their partners and children over any trifling opportunity. Parker never gives herself fully to small things and teaches the younger generation to discern what is really important for them and what will be gone with the wind tomorrow. Thus she clears away clouds from her family life, and while there are periods of unnecessary fuss, it comes and goes leaving no permanent trace behind.
They believe in talking
The actress is sure that all the members of a happy family need to talk to one another; by “talk” you must understand conversations about people’s emotions. Parker’s son is already into his teens, and his mom would like him to share with her everything that may get him confused. Youngsters ought to know who to turn to for advice, and it had better not be the Internet or friends who know no better. Parker thinks the responsibility to tell the kid about the facts of life lie with the parents. The young ones should learn about consent, safe intimate relationships, all other things that entered their heads. They shouldn’t feel ashamed because they think about it.
They believe in eating healthy
Sarah Jessica Parker is well into her 50s, but she has kept her looks – mainly because she likes to walk (and set for herself a goal of at least 10 thousand steps every day) and takes only healthy food. Her children know that food must be nutritious and can tell what is right for them and what is not. She made known the fact that her son is allergic to certain foods, therefore they have to be very careful when purchasing food to make sure it contains no ingredients that trigger allergy (like peanuts). The twins are very fond of avocados, and all of them go for almond milk, that’s why Parker gives them milkshakes made with almond milk quite often, and there are other favorite healthy desserts.
They acknowledge one another as individuals
Parker is sure that expectations do nothing but keep children smothered, and no good can come of making them live up to what their parents would like them to be. Children will never be happy this way. It’s far better to acknowledge that everyone has their own personality that they have to express, and it won’t always be liked by the people around. When kids behave differently from what was expected of them, they want to use their own heads and try to interact with the world in their unique ways. Parker says it can create difficult situations, especially when children are not yet out of their teens, but parents shouldn’t be too fussy about it as long as the situation holds no real danger.
