It might be cool to have Jessica Alba or Victoria Beckham as your mom, but it isn’t all fun and games: there 5 female celebrities say they are strict mothers and don’t let their kids do whatever they want. Some have to say no from time or time or play ‘bad cop’ when their kid is acting up, while others just have a very set, strict routine for their kids which lays out their bedtime, homework and more for them so they know how to behave properly. Being the offspring of a celebrity obviously has its advantages, but these stars aren’t about to let their kids have it completely easy and want to make sure they’re brought up properly.
Cate Blanchett
Cate says she would prefer to a parent rather than a friend to her children and admits she has to play bad cop from time to time: “I don’t enjoy being the bad cop but sometimes I have to be. My husband and I worry about our generation trying to be friends with their children rather than parents of their children. If you’re going to try and make your children like you, you’re in dangerous waters I think. I think I’m pretty loving, but what I do know is that you have to let them talk and you have to listen. I hope that when they’re 15, they’re still talking as freely to us as now.”
Victoria Beckham
Victoria says her children have a strict upbringing with a set timetable and have to behave well: “We watch movies together as a family and invite guests too. We are also very strict about the children doing their homework and going to bed on time. Cruz goes to bed at 7pm, Romeo goes at 7.30pm and Brooklyn at 9.30pm. I firmly believe that children need a basic routine. We have got a punishment chair – when you’ve done something naughty you are supposed to sit down on it and think over your behaviour. But I have never had to punish them physically. I think they are all very clever boys and besides they’ve got very good manners.”
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl admits she has to be strict in order to maintain control: “I’m strict. I think one thing that is missing now with kids is the hierarchy of adults not being friends, even though ultimately that’s what you want with your kids. They have to understand that somebody’s in charge and sometimes the answer is no. It’s about being consistent.”
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer is the parent who keeps the order and plans everything: “I’m the one who keeps everybody on schedule, like, ‘Got to go to bed at this time, got to eat something.’ I was talking about this with somebody – they asked, ‘Do you still love working?’ I said, ‘I just do it quicker.’ I don’t have all the time in the world anymore.”
Jessica Alba
Jessica has had to put her foot down in the past: ”I did have that dreaded moment when my daughter decided that every answer I gave her wasn’t a good one and she kept saying, ‘But why mommy? But why mommy?’, and I was like, ‘Because I said so’. And I thought, ‘Oh God, I’m that mum, I’m my mum’. My parents did use ‘because I said so’ and they were not strict. They were fun and cool and laid back and a way better time than me.”
