Jennifer Hudson and Viola Davis are opening up about the ups and downs of raising teenagers.
In a candid conversation for Interview magazine, the two EGOT winners admitted they both struggle with “mom guilt” and the challenges that come with watching their kids grow more independent.
“I think we all do,” Hudson said when Davis asked if she ever feels it.
Davis shares 15-year-old daughter Genesis with husband Julius Tennon, while Hudson is mom to 16-year-old son David Daniel Otunga Jr., whom she shares with ex-fiancé David Otunga.
“Whoo, baby! These teenage years is a whole ’nother realm,” Hudson admitted. “I’m trying to learn how to trust my teachings. We spend all of these years instilling in them and then at some point we got to fall back and see what they gon’ do.”
Hudson explained that allowing kids to experience life’s challenges on their own helps build character.
“And you sit up and wonder, “Well, why they so soft?” Well, let them feel it. Let them experience some life on it. So, that’s the phase I’m in right now. And that’s where I feel my guilt a lot of times.”
Davis admitted she struggles too, citing Brené Brown’s advice not to rush in and “fix” problems for your kids.
Still, she admitted it’s tough, especially when her daughter will always feel like her “puff-puff girl.”
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Hudson ageed, adding, “In our minds, they still little. It takes looking at somebody else’s kid that’s around your kid’s age to realize how much older your kid done got,”
She went on to share that her son is now a junior in high school and starting driver’s ed. “I’m like, “Okay, it’s time for you to get a job,” she said.
Davis said she’s had similar talks with Genesis, quipping, “I said that to my daughter—“It’s time for you to start thinking about getting a job to pay for those UGG Tasmans that you want.”
