Sensible Mama Drew Barrymore Says She Won’t Let Her Kids Become Child Stars
Former party-girl and child star Drew Barrymore apparently learned a thing or two about the dangers of early stardom because according to her interview with The Daily Mail‘s Elaine Lipworth, she won’t be letting her children act whatsoever (though if they chose to get into acting at 18, then so be it). According to The Mail:
” I will never let my children act. When they’re 18, if they want to, but not before…ET was the best thing that ever happened to me because it changed the course of my life. I didn’t have family and home and structure, so the world of film gave me that framework. But it’s different for my children. They are going to have everything they need. I can’t wait to show them ET and the Charlie’s Angels movies, so they can see girls having fun with each other and being capable, not competitive.”
I will admit it, there was a point when Drew Barrymore bugged the ever-loving hell out of me. I hated the whole hippy-dippy, Woodstock-eque dog-and-pony-show she put on during her “Ever After” boho phase. They even poked fun of it a few times on Saturday Night Live. But many of the same things that annoyed me when she was a twenty-something are things I find endearing in her as a mom. She’s laid back, carefree and super supportive to other women. Nowadays it reads less “flower child affectation” and more “feminist mom from the School of Hard Knocks.” I mean, who else would admit to growing a pregnancy goatee? In the Daily Mail interview, Drew goes on to talk about her own rough upbringing and how that has affected her parenting:
“I would never have raised children in the haphazard environment in which I grew up. As a mum I just want to get it right. I probably wouldn’t have had kids unless I had settled down and become mature and met the right person.”
Considering the types of parents we typically see come out of Hollywood (running the gamut from wacky Gwyneth Paltrow-types to the horrific John Philips-types), I find Drew Barrymore’s brand of parenting refreshing. She’s not claiming to have all the answers, but she seems level-headed and just the right amount of protective. As crazy talented as I’m sure her kids are (hell, their great grandfather is John Barrymore, need I say more?), I think she’s making the right decision here. If they want to cash in on their acting genes, they can do it as adults. In the meantime they can enjoy the type of childhood Drew always wanted and most of us can’t afford.
(Photo: Bridow/WENN.com)
