21 Celebrity Parenting Rules That Make Either A Ton Of Sense Or Very Little Sense
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1.Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard's kids have to share a room.
In a 2020 interview with Self, Kristen said it's "very important" that her daughters share a bedroom. "I think their lives will be easier than most other people’s on the planet, and to develop a good character, it’s important to always be going through something. I like the fact that they will have to figure out how to share a bedroom, figure out how to share your closet, figure out how to share your space. If that’s the worst thing about your life, that you have to share a bedroom with your sister, you’re going to be okay."
2.Kourtney Kardashian's kids aren't allowed to use the microwave.
According to People, the reality TV star wrote about her decision not to use the kitchen appliance on her website in 2017. "When I had Mason, I did a lot of health-related research and decided to get rid of my microwave when I read that toxins from plastic containers can be transferred to food when reheated," she wrote. Even switching her plastic containers for glass wasn't enough. "I didn’t want to risk having something reheated in plastic when I wasn’t around."
3.Cardi B and Offset's kids aren't allowed to go to sleepovers.
In a 2018 interview with W Magazine, the rapper said her mother never allowed her to sleep at friends' houses, so Cardi skipped school to party. "My mom tried to stop me from all of that, but I still did it. I joined a gang. If she had let me out as often as I wanted to, I probably would be dead or got my face cut up. Or been a teenage mom." She'll be continuing her mom's rule with her own kids and forbidding sleepovers, too. "I’m going to be very strict. Like, you can have whatever you want, but you can’t do whatever you want."
4.Kelly Clarkson's kids aren't allowed social media.
Earlier this year, the singer told People that her kids are forbidden from joining social media until they're 18. "I have informed them they’re not allowed to, under my roof, ever have [it]... My daughter was like, 'Well, what if Dad lets me?' I’m like, 'Well, you’re there four days a month. Enjoy that.' And right now, he’s not letting them do it either. I’ll listen when they’re older, but until they have a solid argument, it’s a no."
5.Samira Wiley and Lauren Morelli don't allow physical punishment in their home.
Last month, Samira told BuzzFeed that she doesn't believe in corporal punishment. "I don't hit my kids for discipline. I feel like I came up in an era where children, especially growing up at the church, you're kind of seen and not heard. I don't think I necessarily felt like a full person until later...after childhood. It's important for me to see [my daughter] George as her own person. She's a being that I want to respect in this world. I want to listen to her when she's crying, I want to be able to encourage her to speak up for herself, and all of those things."
6.Kiera Knightley's daughter wasn't allowed to watch Cinderella or The Little Mermaid.
In a 2018 episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the actor revealed that she took issue with the Disney movies. "Cinderella, banned because she waits around for a rich guy to rescue her. Don't. Rescue yourself, obviously." Similarly, she didn't think Ariel was a good role model. "The songs are great, but do not give your voice up voice for a man, hello?"
7.Jennifer Lopez's kids are only allowed to use electronics on Sundays.
In 2015, J. Lo told E! News about Sunday Funday in her house. "It starts with a late breakfast. We sleep in, even the kids sleep in. And Sunday Funday, they work towards that because they don't get to use their iPads during the week. Or play video games or anything because it's school time. And they have to be good in school, and then they get Sunday Funday. It's something I made up so they could work towards it and behave!"
8.Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds don't allow the word "bossy" in their household.
During a 2017 interview with Glamour, Blake shared why they've removed the word from their vocabulary. "We’ve joked that my daughter is bossy. But my husband said, 'I don’t ever want to use that word again. You’ve never heard a man called bossy.' There would never be any negative connotation for a man being a boss, so to add a negative connotation on a woman being bossy? It’s belittling. And it doesn’t encourage them to be a boss."
9.Drew Barrymore's kids aren't allowed to act.
"I’m not going to let them be kid actors," she told People in 2018. "That’s so not their journey... Can you imagine me being [a] mom [who is] pushing her kids out there? That’s not going to happen." But Drew said she'd support her children joining the industry as adults. "If they want to be actors [later] in life, I would be so supportive of it."
10.Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves's kids have to speak Portuguese.
Originally from Brazil, Camila's first language is Portuguese, and the couple has spoken about their desire for the kids to be bilingual. On a 2016 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Matthew spoke about an upcoming family trip to Brazil to visit Camila's family. "The kids are taking Portuguese classes for the last week. They already know a lot of Portuguese, but they’re taking Portuguese classes five hours a day for the last week in preparation for going on this trip."
11.Karamo Brown's kids had to hand over their phones at night until they became adults.
"Until they turn 18, at 7:00, they have to put their phones in a basket," the Queer Eye star told People. "I think it’s imperative that we start to figure out a way that kids can learn how to disconnect." He also emphasized the importance of parents checking in and seeing what their kids are doing in their apps. "It starts nowadays with kids who are 11, 12, even younger who are being over-sexualized, who are being exposed to things through these apps, and parents have no idea. So it’s really about searching or looking and being aware."
12.Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher don't give their kids Christmas presents.
During a 2017 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Mila said, "So far, our tradition is no presents for the kids... Last year when we celebrated Christmas, Wyatt was two, and it was too much. We didn't give her anything — it was the grandparents. The kid no longer appreciates the one gift. They don't even know what they're expecting; they're just expecting stuff." The actor has repeatedly spoken about ensuring that her kids don't grow up to become spoiled and entitled. She continued, "We've told our parents, 'We're begging you. If you have to give her something, pick one gift. Otherwise, we'd like to take a charitable donation, to the Children's Hospital or a pet [or] whatever you want.' That's our new tradition."
13.Megan Fox's kids are only allowed to watch movies, not TV.
In 2014, the actor told Parents.com that she's not a fan of kids watching TV. "I do let them watch movies, I just don’t let them watch TV," she said. "With movies, I feel like there’s a beginning, a middle, and an end. It’s linear. There’s a clear story. I think that it’s different than just putting a kid in front of the television because it’s just nonstop. They’re just being bombarded with all of this sort of live media, and it’s very overwhelming, and it’s too stimulating I think for anyone. I don’t watch television because it’s just too much, it overwhelms me. I just can’t deal with it."
14.Chrissy Teigen and John Legend don't post things on social media that their kids will find embarrassing when they grow up.
Chrissy is known for being candid about the ups and downs of motherhood. But in a 2019 interview with PopSugar, she said, "I don't really post any things that the kids would be ashamed of or mad at me for posting. I see a lot of people posting their kids' tantrums and having super-meltdowns. I don't post that stuff just because that, to me, is like — I wouldn't want someone to do that."
15.Viola Davis won't buy her daughter designer clothes.
During a 2017 interview with People, the actor said her "number one fear" is her daughter becoming entitled. "I never had a house; Genesis has a house. I do shop at Target, I buy all her clothes at Target or H&M. And maybe, if I’m feeling really good, Nordstrom Rack."
16.Jennifer Garner doesn't usually let her kids eat junk food.
Last year, the actor — who co-founded the Once Upon a Farm organic food line — told People, "Moms get how hard it is. We just want to make life easier for them, and give them food they can trust and don't have to stress over... I'm not really relaxed about it." However, she admitted that her kids will enjoy junk food on occasion. "There are no absolutes," she said about parenting. "To put that kind of pressure on yourself, to have the idea that everything has to be perfect? No. That's just an unrealistic idea of what we're all trying to accomplish."
17.Jason Momoa won't let his kids watch his early work.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the actor appeared on the Australian radio show Fitzy and Wippa, revealing that his children can only watch his recent movies. "They got to see a lot of stuff that Papa's been doing. The earlier things in my career, you can't see that. But you can see the new things." When the host mentioned Baywatch, Jason exclaimed, "We don't say the B-word at home! We hide all of that, mate! Never happened, mate!" He also confirmed that Game of Thrones is off the table. "You know, there's stuff that you just, they can't watch... Right now, superheroes and on, we're good."
18.Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka's kids have to try new foods.
In 2022, David told Romper, "There's always a rule at our house: you don't have to like it, but you have to try it." He said the kids weren't selective eaters at first, but that changed a bit once they hit school age. "I think as our kids get to school, they start being influenced by other kids, so they started becoming a little picky, but not that bad honestly. Make them try it, make them try a bunch of different stuff, get involved with it, and you probably won't have a picky eater. [Gideon and Harper] love eating."
19.Madonna expected her kids to keep their rooms perfectly tidy.
In 2005, the pop star told Newsweek how she motivated her daughter to pick up her clothes. If Lourdes left them on the ground, "we take all of her clothes and put them in a bag, and she has to earn all of her clothes back by being tidy," Madonna said. "She wears the same outfit every day to school until she learns her lesson."
20.Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade's kids are expected to always have good manners.
During a 2021 interview with Yahoo! Life, the actor was asked about the one parenting rule where she always puts her foot down. "We don't play around with manners and disrespect and being polite," she responded. "Unleashing an undisciplined, ill-mannered child on the world? That's not fair. So the village — and I say the village because it takes a whole group of us — we're all in alignment. We don't let really anything go when it comes to manners and being courteous and respectful. We're all always constantly correcting [Kaavia]. So yeah, we don't play about that. My parents didn't play about that, so it's not really something that's up for debate."
21.And finally, Gwyneth Paltrow's kids weren't allowed to watch TV in English.
In 2012, the actor told InStyle that she only let her children watch TV if the shows were in Spanish or French. "When I'm in France, I go to [Boulevard] Beaumarchais and buy all their cartoons," she said.
If you're a parent, what kind of rules do you set in place for your kids? LMK in the comments below!
