Christie Brinkley Reveals the Sweet Way She Gives Her Kids Advice Without Being ‘Judgmental’

Christie Brinkley is very careful when doling out advice to her three children. The supermodel, who is mom to Alexa, 37, with ex-husband Billy Joel, Jack, 28, with ex-husband Richard Taubman, and Sailor, 25, with ex-husband Peter Cook, shared the genius way she supports and guides her kids.

“It’s really about trying to listen to what’s going on in their lives and support whatever passion they have going on,” the 69-year-old told Us Weekly. “If I want to drop a few words of advice, [I will] surround it [and] cushion it with lots of love, and then get it in there.”

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That’s pretty smart! You catch more flies with honey and keep the peace with your kids by being sweet and supportive to them. She added, “I try not to be too judgmental and all of that because I think, at this point, they’ve got pretty good heads on their shoulders and they know what to do.”

While parenting is never-ending, at a certain point you have to trust that you’ve done your best at raising your kids and let them make their own adult decisions (even if they come with unpleasant consequences).

And, apparently, her approach is working because her kids actually listen to her. “Sometimes I’m amazed that they really are watching and listening [to me],” Brinkley told Us Weekly. “Occasionally, I’ll look at them and they’ll do something, and I’ll just be so proud and I’ll think, ‘Oh my gosh, they really did hear that.’”

At the Footwear News Achievement Awards in Dec. 2021, Brinkley told SheKnows that daughter Sailor is “more like me than she knows.” The former Sports Illustrated cover girl added, “She’s, sort of, begrudgingly following along.”

Brinkley added, “I’m sure that once she really settles and figures out what she wants to do, she’s going to have a blast doing whatever she chooses. She’s got feelers out in so many different areas. Modeling is just not her end all, be all. But modeling is a great opportunity for discovering what that passion is.”

No matter what her kids end up doing with their careers, Brinkley will keep supporting them. And it turns out, they have taught her some valuable lessons too.

“I find that they open up horizons for me all the time, and I love that about staying connected with my kids,” she told Us Weekly. “I think it keeps me feeling invigorated and interested and excited about everything around me.”

“So, there’s a real energy exchange there that’s just a beautiful thing,” she said.

These celebrities are focused on raising their kids to be good humans.

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