15+ Famous Parents That Have an Unusual Approach to Raising Children

There’s no one right way to raise a child to ensure that they’ll become a decent person. Every parent chooses the methods they think are the best. And some people, including celebrities, may come up with rules for their kids that might seem ineffective and even a little strange.

Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez has 2 kids with singer Mark Antony, twins Emme and Max, who she had in 2008.

In 2015, the singer shared one of the most important rules of raising kids that she has: “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 toward it and behave!”

Julia Roberts

The actress and her future husband met on the set of The Mexican in 2000 and got married 2 years later. In 2004, they became parents for the first time, and in 2007, they had a second child. They have 3 kids now. When their kids were little, the actress wouldn’t let them watch movies with her.

During a 2012 press conference for Mirror Mirror, in which she played the evil queen, Roberts said, “I think they are too young considering the part that I play. We have a pretty rigid viewing feeling in our house.”

Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard

Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard have 2 daughters (born in 2013 and 2014). The famous couple has very weird rules about raising kids. Bell and Shepard would lock their daughter in her room because the 3-year-old Delta wouldn’t go to bed at the right time, would move the furniture, and not let her older sister sleep. Bell says that she knows this is a controversial method, but it worked — Delta started sleeping better.

Also, Kristen and Dax don’t make their kids take showers regularly. They only send them to the bathroom when they start sensing a bad smell. The actress says, “Once you catch a whiff, that’s biology’s way of letting you know you need to clean it up. There’s a red flag.”

Also, Bell covers the faces of their kids with emojis when she publishes photos of them online.

Megan Fox

The popular actress has 3 boys (born in 2012, 2014, and 2016) with actor Brian Austin Green. In 2014, Fox shared some of the rules she has for her kids. For example, she wouldn’t let them watch TV, but they could watch movies.

Megan explained, “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.”

Gwyneth Paltrow

From 2003 to 2016, Gwyneth Paltrow was in a relationship with the Coldplay frontman, Christopher Martin. They had 2 children together: a daughter in 2004, and a son in 2006. The actress eagerly went public with her upbringing methods.

At the beginning of 2012, Paltrow said that she would take a bath with her kids and also let them get dirty to improve their immune systems. She also said that she wouldn’t allow them to watch TV in their mother tongue (English), and instead, she’d turn on shows in French and Spanish.

Alicia Silverstone

Alicia Silverstone is raising a son, born in 2011, with rock musician Christopher Jarecki. And in 2012, the actress attracted a lot of media attention when she uploaded a video where she fed her baby with chewed food from her mouth. And, in general, the Clueless star is famous for her strict parenting rules.

For example, Silverstone bathes with her child. She mentioned this in 2020 when her son was already 9. And before, she didn’t use a stroller because, in her eyes, strollers simply create a detachment between the parent and child. So she’d always carry her son in her arms.

Jennifer Garner

From 2004 to 2018, the actress was married to Ben Affleck. They had 3 kids: 2 daughters (in 2005 and 2009) and a son (in 2012). Jennifer Garner thinks that she is quite a strict mom, and she says “no” to many of her kids’ requests. And the kids even call her a dragon.

But their family has a tradition — once a year, they have a yes-day. On this day, Garner agrees to whatever her kids ask her, within reason, of course. For example, they can have ice cream for breakfast or sleep under the stars.

Gordon Ramsay

In 1996, Gordon Ramsay married former school teacher Tana Hutcheson. They had 5 kids: 3 girls (1998, 2000, 2001) and 2 boys (2000 and 2019).

The famous chef, whose net worth is $220 million, could have let every child fly a private jet if he wanted. But in order not to spoil his kids, he doesn’t let them fly first class: when they are going on vacation, the kids go to economy class, separate from their parents. He revealed this back in 2017.

Kourtney Kardashian

Kim Kardashian’s older sister has 2 sons (born in 2009 and 2014) and 1 daughter (2012) with businessman Scott Disick. Kourtney Kardashian is famous for having a healthy lifestyle, and she wants her kids to have the same. She even has a rule that seems a little strange in the twenty-first century: the star doesn’t let her kids use a microwave oven, but they can use the toaster and the stove.

Kardashian thinks that using microwaves can be dangerous for kids, so she doesn’t even have one.

Jessica Alba

Since 2008, the popular actress has been married to movie producer Cash Warren. They have 3 kids: 2 daughters (2008 and 2011) and a son (2017). In 2013, Jessica Alba said she’d send her kids to the corner when they wouldn’t obey.

She shared, “So now it’s ’stand in the corner and put your nose against the wall!’” Alba says. “My 2-year-old can last 15 seconds before she’s like, ’Okay, I’m done!’, and then I’m like, ’Wait, it’s not up to you!’ My 5-year-old can go for some time, like a minute or 2.”

Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem

Since 2010, the Spanish actress has been married to actor Javier Bardem. They have 2 kids: son Leonardo (born in 2011) and daughter Luna (born in 2013). Even when the kids were very little, Penélope Cruz treated them as adults. She avoided baby talk, didn’t use high chairs, and didn’t buy toys. She thought the kids would be more self-aware if they were treated like adults.

The actress protects her son and daughter from social media. Cruz says that she’s worried about their mental health and will do anything to protect them. Neither Javier nor Penélope share any photos of their kids online.

Celine Dion

The singer was married to René Angélil from 1994 to 2016 (until he passed away). In 2001, they had their first son, and in 2010, they had twins.

Their oldest son didn’t have his hair cut once because he didn’t want to, and Dion didn’t push it. Only before going to school did he have to get a haircut.

Here’s a photo of Dion’s 3 sons.

Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel

Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel got married in 2012. They have 2 sons (born in 2015 and 2020). In 2018, they revealed that they were strict parents, but in different ways and in turns.

This is probably a great life hack for parents that don’t want their kids to think that only one of their parents is the “bad cop.”

Madonna

The Queen of Pop has 6 kids: 2 biological and 4 adopted. The singer is famous for her strict approach to parenting.

She said she didn’t allow her kids to watch TV, read magazines, eat ice cream, or drink milk. She’d also make her daughter wear the same clothes. It was kind of a punishment for making a mess with her dirty clothes around the room.

Here is what all of Madonna’s kids look like.

What parenting rules do you have?