15 Unique Parenting Rules Sarah Jessica Parker Makes Her Kids Follow
Olivia Shea Quick Links
Everybody knows Sarah Jessica Parker as legendary Carrie Bradshaw from the hit series, Sex and the City, but there was one side of Carrie that we never got to see on the screen— her becoming a parent. On the other hand, Parker in real life is a mother of three and has a son, James Wilkie Broderick, and the twins, Marion Loretta Elwell and Tabitha Hodge, whom Sarah and her husband, Matthew Broderick, welcomed to this world with the help of a surrogate.
So if you have been wondering what parenting style has Sarah Jessica Parker adopted when she became a mom, you have come to a right place. Every parent in the world is different and they create their own set of rules that they carefully follow when it comes to raising their children, as well as the rules that their children have to follow to keep them safe and sound at all times. There is no doubt that Parker is a great mom and that she and her husband love their kids very much so let’s dive deeper in some of Parker’s parenting tips and tricks and let’s take a look at 15 unique parenting rules she makes her kids follow.
No Live-In Help
When both parents have such busy careers like Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick do, it is not unusual for them to hire a live-in help that is there for their kids at all times. However, Parker is a hands-on mom and she prefers to take care of her kids herself whenever that’s possible. Of course, there are times when both she and her husband are working and she does have a nanny for her twin daughters, as well as a babysitter for her son, but they are there only when there is absolutely no way for Parker or her husband to be around. The babysitter often picks up James from school, but during the night time, the kids are usually with their parents who try to spend as much time with them as possible.
Spend The Time With Your Kids Outside
Some celebs prefer not to spend too much time with their kids outside because they are usually being chased by a bunch of paparazzi all the time, but Sarah Jessica Parker doesn’t care too much about that. She loves the New York City playgrounds and she visits them with her kids as often as possible, even though they usually don’t have the privacy they would like to have. However, Parker has made her peace with that and she doesn’t the fact that she is a celebrity in any way affect the fact that she is a mother too so when it comes to spending quality time with her children or hiding them from paparazzi altogether, she just goes for the first option and she tries to make out the most of it.
Enjoy Your Private Family Time
Sarah Jessica Parker admits that one of her favorite things in the whole world is enjoying the private family time with her husband and her kids when they are all together at their home alone. Once the hired help leaves their home and once the workday is over, it is time for the Parker-Broderick household to have some fun by themselves. They enjoy playing all kinds of games together, they watch movies, cartoons, or the kids’ favorite TV shows together, they listen to music, and all in all, they just try to have a great time together. Since both Parker and her husband are pretty busy people, they cherish moments like this deeply because they know that no matter how important one’s job might be, the family should always come first.
It’s All About The Balance
Sarah Jessica Parker admits that she easily related to Kate Reddy, a character she portrayed in the comedy called Don't Know How She Does It. It is a story about a woman who is the breadwinner for her husband and kids and how overwhelming being a working mom can get from time to time. According to Parker, every working mother needs to find a way to balance her work and her private life as best as she can. For Parker, it meant she had to give up on the projects such as Sex in the City that used to take up too much of her time if she wanted to really focus on her kids. And while she really enjoyed all the years she spent working really hard, she is happy to take it easy now and to focus on raising her kids.
Strict Rules For The Staff
Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick don’t have a live-in help, but when there are people in their house taking care of their children, they have to follow a very specific set of rules. A member of the staff leaked some of Parker’s unusual requests a while back. For example, a bottle of a specific body wash and face wash have to be continually replenished in her kids’ personal showers, but they aren’t allowed to buy them in a bulk and simply exchange the empty bottle for a full one; they actually have to check all the products on a daily basis and then buy and replenish only those that have run out completely. Also, when the kids had pinkeye, Parker left detailed instructions on how to administer the drops and how hard the kids should blink.
Deprive Your Children Of Certain Things
Sarah Jessica Parker tried to explain how when she was little, her mom wasn’t able to afford everything she wanted, but the positive side of that was that it really helped her teach Sarah the value of a dollar. She has chosen the same approach with her kids and she sometimes deprives them of some things they yearn for because she wants them to appreciate what they have. She also believes that as her kids get older, they should earn their own money to buy the things they want. If she just gives them everything they ask for, they will never truly appreciate what they have because it will become normal for them not to have to work for anything. According to Parker, when you pine for something, it has much more meaning once you finally get it.
Casual Is Okay
While we have grown used to seeing Sarah Jessica Parker always dressed in the designer clothes and with her high heels on, once she became a mother, she realized that casual is okay. In fact, it is more than okay – it is necessary if you want to run around with your kids. She just doesn’t care about that stuff like she used to before and when she leaves her home and takes her kids for a walk to the nearest park, she wears her sweats and sneakers or, basically, anything comfortable. She also tries to teach her kids that while it is great to always try and look your best, sometimes, all that matters is feeling comfortable in your own skin and there is no need to always have a ton of makeup on or the hottest pair of new high heels.
The True Meaning Of Beauty
According to Sarah Jessica Parker, it is very important to teach your kids the true meaning of beauty and why all people are, in fact, beautiful in some way. Basically, beauty is as beauty does, and inner beauty is the only kind of beauty that actually counts. Outer beauty fades and that is an inevitable part of life, but as long as a person smiles honestly, looks other people in the eye, and is kind to the others, they will always be beautiful in other people’s eyes. Parker doesn’t want her kids to be self-conscious about their looks and she wants to raise confident human beings with the right values, not shallow people who will believe that outer beauty is enough. She believes this is an important lesson that should be passed on to the new generations.
Don’t Engage In Competition
Mompetition, or the constant competition between mothers and their parenting styles, is definitely a thing now— and Sarah Jessica Parker wants to stay away from that as much as possible. According to her, people really just need to give each other a break and raise their kids as they see fit. So while some people are constantly arguing about whether it is better to nurse your kid of to bottle feed them, whether you should hire a nanny or be a stay-at-home mom, according to Parker, the only thing that counts is whether your kid is happy or not. She feels no need to compete with other moms and she is simply doing her own thing. She also teaches her kids that they shouldn’t pay too much attention to the things other people say and they should also just live their lives peacefully.
Teach Your Kids A Strong Work Ethic
Despite the fact that Sarah Jessica Parker became wildly popular at a fairly early age, she never went through some of the issues numerous that other celebrities have faced, for example, rehab stints, cheating scandals, alcohol abuse, etc. When asked how she managed to avoid all of that, she explained that she has a very strong work ethic and she believes that a person should continue to work hard even after they achieve the rich and the famous status. This is also what she teaches her kids as she explains to them how important it is to study hard, to find their own talents, and to work hard in order to achieve success in life. She believes that the only way to be truly successful in the long run is only by fully committing to everything you do.
Don’t Make A Big Deal Out Of Everything
According to Sarah Jessica Parker, the key to being happily married and raising happy kids is simply to remember that the things that don’t matter, really don’t matter. If you make a big deal out of everything, you will be constantly nervous about something and the conflicts between you and your spouse, as well as those between you and your kids, will just appear out of nowhere. She tries to stay focused on the important things in life and she teaches her kids how to know the difference between what is truly important and what is just water under the bridge. This way, the family life is happier and they all have truly a great time together as a family and, even though it is hard sometimes not to make a fuss about the little things that drive you crazy on a daily basis, you just need to let them go.
Have The Talk With Your Kids
According to Sarah Jessica Parker, it is very important to have “the talk” with your children, and by “the talk," we, of course, mean the talk about intimate relationships with romantic partners. Parker’s son is a teenager and she wants him to be able to talk to her about everything he feels confused about. She doesn’t want him to have to search for stuff on the internet or to discuss things with his friends who know just as little about things as he does. She truly believes that it is every parent’s responsibility to explain to the kids the basics of practicing safe intimate relations, as well as what consent means. She wants her kids to know that being curious about these things is nothing to be ashamed of and she encourages them to ask all the questions that may pop up in their heads.
Teach Your Kids About Healthy Foods
Despite her being in her 50's, Sarah Jessica Parker manages to stay in the best shape mostly by walking a lot (her goal is a minimum of 10,000 steps a day) and she also eats really healthy food. She teaches her kids the basics of good nutrition and they already know which food is good for them and their health and which is really not. She revealed that her son has a set of serious food-related allergies so they always have to pay a really good attention not to buy foods that have the traces of some of the things he is allergic to, for example, peanuts. Her daughters are huge fans of avocados, and the whole family really loves almond milk so Parker often makes them almond milk milkshakes or other kinds of healthy desserts.
The Rules Regarding Wardrobe
Sarah Jessica Parker loved to pick out the clothes for her children to wear, but at some point, every child wants to make their own choice when it comes to the clothes. When that started happening, Parker decided she would let her kids wear whatever they like from Sunday night to Thursday night as long as it is appropriate for the weather and for the school requirements. However, on Friday and Saturday, she wants them to pick clothes that are a bit classier, which basically means that their outfits shouldn’t involve ripped-up legging and casual T-shirts. She believes it is important to let the kids make their own choices because the clothes are often a great way for them to express their own personality and, even if she isn’t too happy with them sometimes, she lets them slide.
Accept Your Kids For Who They Are
According to Sarah Jessica Parker, the more you smother your kids with all kinds of expectations, the worse the result. The key to raising happy kids is simply to accept them for who they are and accept the fact that they have their own personalities that they need to express in certain ways that you might not like every time. However, even if that happens, you need to realize that they have a mind of their own so you need to let them explore and discover the world and find their own place in it. She admits that it can be hard sometimes, especially with the teenagers, but making a big fuss is usually counterproductive, so she just tries to let things slide unless they are potentially dangerous.
