I haven’t seen photos of Sarah Jessica Parker’s daughters in years, so I almost wept when I realized that Tabitha and Marion Broderick are already 14 years old, soon to be 15. James Wilkie Broderick is 21 years old, and as you can see, he inherited his mother’s whole face, all while the girls look more like Matthew. Anyway, it’s time for another interesting interview with SJP. Last year, SJP caused a minor kerfuffle (in our comment section, at least) when she got a bit sanctimonious about how her family never, ever orders takeout and they cook and eat dinner together every night. Yeah, I still don’t really buy that. But SJP made some new comments about how she didn’t want to repeat disordered-eating patterns with her children when it came to sugary snacks.
When it comes to food, Sarah Jessica Parker doesn’t want her daughters to follow in her footsteps. The actress has been intentional about encouraging twins Tabitha and Marion to have a “better relationship” with eating than she did growing up, she told “Ruthie’s Table 4” podcast listeners Monday.
“When I had girls, I didn’t want them to have a relationship with food that was antagonistic and to see it as an enemy,” the “Sex and the City” alum, 59, explained, noting that her own childhood home did not allow “sugar … or chocolate or cookies.” Because of that restriction, Parker and her siblings purchased “a load of cakes and cookies” upon moving out.
“I didn’t want that for them,” the “And Just Like That” star said of her 14-year-olds. “In our house, we have cookies, we have cake, we have everything. And as a result, you have a better relationship. My daughters will have the figures they have, and hopefully they’ll be healthy,” she continued. “They’re athletes and they enjoy food and have different palates. I hope that they can maintain their affection for the experience and their delight in taste.”
The Golden Globe winner, who is also the mother of son James, 21, with husband Matthew Broderick, went on to share rare insight into their home life elsewhere in the episode. “Matthew cooks. We both cook every single day,” Parker said. “We eat dinner as a family every night. And always have dinner every Sunday night. It’s just what we do.”
I actually like this approach with having cookies and cakes and desserts in the house. You can actually do the work of role-modeling a healthy relationship with food while also showing your kids that it’s not the end of the world to enjoy a candy bar or some cookies. Too many parents pass on their disordered eating habits to their children, and I appreciate that SJP has tried to break that cycle. It also sounds like her daughters are little athletes – teenage girls playing sports, I bet they eat everything that isn’t nailed down and it’s fine because “teenage metabolism.”
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Getty.