"I Should've Stepped In": Courteney Cox Explained Why She Regrets Not Being A "Firmer" Parent With Her Daughter Coco

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Courteney Cox is getting candid about parenting.

Closeup of Courteney Cox
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If you didn’t know, Courteney, 59, is mom to a 19-year-old named Coco Arquette, whom she shares with her ex, David Arquette.

Closeup of Coco Arquette and Courteney Cox
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Courteney and Coco famously share a close relationship, and the Friends star has long remained open about the ups and downs of raising her teenage daughter.

Closeup of Coco Arquette kissing Courteney Cox on the cheek
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Back in 2021, for example, Courteney opened up about supporting Coco’s decision to wear “so much makeup” even though people questioned her on it.

"People will say, 'Why do you let Coco wear so much makeup?' She's been wearing makeup forever, that is a self-expression for her,” Courteney shared on The Drew Barrymore Show. “She loves to dress up. She will dye her hair, it was purple a week ago, I think right now it's blonde underneath, before it was blue.”

Now, Courteney has opened up a little further about raising Coco.

Courteney Cox in a outfit with layered necklaces, posing at an event
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Appearing on Minnie Driver's podcast, Minnie Questions, this week, Courteney admitted that she wishes she’d been “firmer” with Coco when she was growing up.

Courteney Cox with daughter Coco Arquette at an event
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Courteney explained that she avoided interfering in her daughter’s personal situations because Coco often wanted to deal with things independently. However, the Scream actor expressed a little regret over this.

  Michael Tran / FilmMagic
Michael Tran / FilmMagic

“I wish so bad that I could’ve realized in the moment a way to protect Coco from things… Whether it was codependency or seeing her in relationships with people that I knew were not good,” she said.

Courteney Cox in a one-shouldered dress with ruffle detail at an event
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“But I didn’t wanna step in even though I knew something wasn’t right, because she would get so mad at me,” Courteney shared, explaining that Coco felt she wouldn’t “understand” the things she was dealing with.

Closeup of Courteney Cox and Coco Arquette
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“I did understand, and I should’ve trusted myself, and I should’ve stepped in,” Courteney said.

Courteney later added, “When she was a kid — or not even that many years ago — I wish I'd been a firmer parent.”

  Nbc / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Nbc / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

You can listen to the podcast in full here.

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