Jada Pinkett Smith: you have to give kids space to be themselves

Jada Pinkett Smith has revealed she and husband Will Smith have a clear philosophy when it comes to raising their children: they all have to eat together and drink plenty of water but aside from that, they like to give their children their freedom.

She told Cookie magazine that “dinner together is sacred” in the Smith household, even though ten year old son Jaden and daughter Willow (who turns 8 at the end of the month) have their own acting careers and schedules as well as mum and dad.

And she’s adamant that the children drink plenty of water too: “I tell them, ‘You have three bottles of water a day, then drink what you want. I’m always like, ‘Listen, we’ve got to keep our bodies strong - we got too much stuff to do!’”

But aside from that, she thinks it’s important to let the children have their own space: “[That] can teach them to be responsible for their own decisions and mistakes.

“Is it their room, or are they borrowing the space while they’re living in your house? If it’s theirs, then they should be able to do whatever they want with it.

“If it’s their clothes, they have the right to do whatever they want with those clothes. We have to give them some freedom to be who they are.”

Jada is also step-mum to Will’s older son, known as Trey, from his previous marriage to Sheree Zampino.