We’ve talked about this before, but having your kids find you slightly embarrassing is one of those rites of passages for a parent. Every generation deals with this! Despite a parent’s best efforts, every kid knows what it means to be embarrassed by their parents. Earlier this year, Sheryl Crow shared a story about how her teenage sons find most of what she does publicly to be “cringey.” Poor Charlize Theron also knows what this is like. Charlize Theron is the mother of two daughters named Jackson, 11, and August, nine. During an event for her charity Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project, Charlize told E! News that there’s “a lot of girl” in her house, and that her daughters are officially of the age where they’re “constantly” embarrassed by her.
“Oh, my God, they’re so embarrassed by me constantly,” she told E! News’ Francesca Amiker at her Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP) 2024 Block Party July 13. “They’re kids, they’re girls, you know? I have a preteen and I feel like I have a nine year old who thinks she’s a 13 year old. It’s a lot of girl in our house.”
The 48-year-old continued, “I’m just trying to keep my head above water, because they are smart and they are witty and they are firecrackers, but they do not go, ‘Oh my god, Mom, you’re so amazing.’ They’re like, ‘Excuse me, I need. I want.’”
Because, as Charlize noted, they’re “normal kids,” quipping, “They’re a–holes, but they’re really nice. Other parents know what I’m talking about.”
Oh man, it sounds like the Theron household is never quiet and always an adventure. I bet Jackson and August keep her on her toes! I have two sisters and no brothers, so I completely understand what Charlize is talking about when she says it’s a very “girl” household. I’m the oldest and my youngest sister and I had a tendency to talk back, but my middle sister knew how to play the game and work the refs. It made me so mad at the time, but looking back, I respect her game. That said, I’m beginning to think that the label is a bit misleading. I have two boys and have been surprised by just how much attitude my 10-year-old is starting to get! No one prepared me for this. Someone help me when he’s an actual tween/teen. Neither of them are routinely embarrassed by me yet, but I know it’s only a matter of time. I need to start planning what to do when that day comes.
Photos credit: IMAGO/Faye Sadou / Avalon, IMAGO/Jeffrey Mayer / Avalon, Getty and via Instagram