8 Famous Mothers Who Parent in Unique Ways

Raising children is the hardest job on earth, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to parenting. We’re all trying to figure out what works best for our kids and family, and famous moms are no exception. Some of them have chosen to take a unique approach to raising their children and openly shared why they believe their parenting style is best for their kids.

1. Megan Fox

The Transformers actress allows her son to express himself freely, but when she posted photos of him wearing dresses, she received lots of negative comments. “Sometimes, he’ll dress himself, and he likes to wear dresses sometimes. And I send him to a really liberal, hippy school, but even there, here in California, he still has little boys going, ’Boys don’t wear dresses,’ or ’Boys don’t wear pink.’ And he was like, ’Well, all the boys laughed when I came in, but I don’t care. I love dresses too much.’ I’m trying to teach him to be confident no matter what anyone else says,” she shared.

2. Kate Hudson

Just like Megan Fox, the award-winning actress follows a gender-neutral approach to raising her daughter. “I think you just raise your kids individually regardless — like a genderless [approach]. We still don’t know what she’s going to identify as,” she said.

3. Gwyneth Paltrow

The Shakespeare in Love star wants her children to speak several languages, and she only allows them to watch television in French or Spanish. “I only let them watch TV in French or Spanish. When I’m in France, I go to Boulevard Beaumarchaisand and buy all their cartoons,” she shared.

4. Heidi Klum

The world-famous model believes it’s never too early to learn how to walk in heels, and she let her daughters wear them when they were just 4 years old. “People get upset, especially in Germany, if they see my daughters wearing high heels. Big deal! If we go to a restaurant, they like to get dressed up. It’s fun for them. So what if they hobble on their little heels for 20 steps from the car to the restaurant? As long as they’re good kids and they get good grades, they can wear what they want to wear,” she said.

5. Mayim Bialik

The Big Bang Theory actress is known for her unique approach to parenting. She doesn’t think kids need phones and refuses to buy either of her children a smartphone. “My children do not have smartphones. I don’t think an 11-year-old needs a phone unless they are physically away from me. Second of all, I don’t think my kids need video games in their hand. They see other kids playing games and I’m fine if that works for other families, but for us, we set aside distinct times when our boys play games. Third, I don’t like the social interactions I see a lot of kids having on social media, and I don’t think it adds to my sons’ lives to take part in that right now. It’s not healthy for their personalities,” she wrote.

6. Penelope Cruz

Like Mayim Bialik, the Everybody Knows actress limits her kids’ access to technology. “I really see that as protecting mental health, but I seem to be part of a minority. [My kids] can [only] watch movies sometimes or some cartoons. How can I not let them watch movies? [Those have] been some incredible moments of happiness since I was a little girl. [But no phones] until they are much older. And no social media until at least 16,” she said.

7. Mila Kunis

The Black Swan star doesn’t want her children spoiled with presents, and she refuses to shower them with gifts. “So far, our tradition is no presents for the kids. We’re instituting it this year because when the kids are [younger than] one, it doesn’t really matter. Last year when we celebrated Christmas, Wyatt was 2, 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,” she shared.

8. Keira Knightley

The award-winning actress doesn’t let her daughter watch some fairy-tale movies because she doesn’t like how women are portrayed in them. “Cinderella: banned. Because she waits around for a rich guy to rescue her. Don’t! Rescue yourself, obviously,” she said.

Which of these parenting rules do you agree with? What are your absolute no-gos when it comes to parenting?