We hear a lot in the media about different parenting methods because people want to get different perspectives and ideas about how folks raise their kids.
And we ALSO sometimes hear about how Hollywood folks raise their kids…because a lot of them definitely do things differently than regular people.
So let’s learn about 10 celebs who used alternative parenting methods to raise their kids…
This promises to be interesting…
1. Pamela Anderson
In 2015, Anderson said that she wanted her two sons, who were teenagers at the time, to “practice safe s**, drink and experiment with drugs in moderation, find true love.”
Anderson also said, “I really believe in my kids. My kids have had a great foundation, they have seen the world. They’ve made great choices. They are really smart people, I am not afraid of my kids surfing the Internet. I think they are making proper decisions and you can’t be in denial of what life has to offer. I don’t know how much of a role model their parents are, but we’ve had a lot of fun.”
2. Kristen Bell
Bell admitted in 2018 that she and her husband Dax Shepard locked their three-year-old daughter in her room when she cried so she would eventually tire herself out.
Bell added, “I’m sorry, I know that’s controversial, but we…stand outside and say, ‘We love you, we will talk to you in the morning, but now, it’s time for sleep.’ And after about 10 minutes, she’ll wind herself down.”
3. Alicia Silverstone
Former teen star Alicia Silverstone took some heat in 2012 when she said she pre-chewed food for her baby soon and that he ate the food directly out of her mouth.
She said, “It’s a part of the weaning process, so while I’m still breast-feeding it’s just a way to introduce him to food when he doesn’t have teeth…and he can’t chew.”
4. Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher
In 2017, Kunis and Kutcher raised a few eyebrows when they said they don’t give their children presents for Christmas.
Kunis said they started this tradition after their kids were spoiled in previous years by their grandparents. She said, “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.”
5. Lisa Whelchel
Whelchel rose to fame in the 1980s sitcom The Facts of Life and she has admitted that she uses hot sauce to discipline her children by putting some on her finger and then putting some on her children’s tongues.
The actress said, “It does sting and the memory stays with them so that the next time they may actually have some self-control and stop before they lie or bite or something like that.”
6. Gwyneth Paltrow
In 2012, Hollywood star Paltrow said that only lets her kids watch French and Spanish-language TV shows.
7. Mayim Bialik
Actress-turned-Jeopardy! host Mayim Bialik has said that she refuses to give her medication or antibiotics when they are sick.
She said, “Between our two boys, ages six and three-and-a-half, we have dealt with just about every ailment, sickness, and flu out there. However, neither of our sons has ever been on antibiotics, nor do we give them Tylenol, Motrin, antihistamines, or cough syrup.”
“I’ve learned from talking to other moms that almost everything you have right now in your home and your heart is enough to deal with most everything. I’m not arguing to be negligent.”
In 2015, Bialik did speak out to confirm that she’s not an anti-vaxxer and that her kids are vaccinated.
8. Penelope Cruz
Cruz said in 2021 that she didn’t allow her 10 and 8-year-old children to use cell phones or social media.
The actress said, “I really see that that is protecting mental health, but I seem to be part of a minority. I feel really bad for the ones that are teenagers now. It’s almost [as] if the world was doing some kind of experiment on them. ‘Oh, let’s see what happens if you expose a 12-year-old to that much technology.’”
Cruz added, “There is no protection for them, for brains that are still developing and how that affects the way they see themselves, how everything related to bullying, so many things that are not the childhood that we had.”
9. Kelly Clarkson
Clarkson admitted in 2018 that she spanked her two young children, who were one and three-years-old at the time.
She said, “My parents spanked me, and I did fine in life, and I feel fine about it, and I do that as well. That’s a tricky thing, when you’re out in public because then people are like, they think that’s wrong or something, but I find nothing wrong with a spanking.”
10. Madonna
Believe it or not, Madonna admitted in the past that she was strict when it came to her kids keeping their rooms clean.
She said that if her daughter Lourdes had dirty clothes on the floor, she would take them from her and she’d have to earn them back by being clean.
She also said her daughter “wears the same outfit every day to school until she learns her lesson.”
Who woulda thought?!?!
