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It's hard raising her kids in the spotlight.
By Nia Tipton — Written on Sep 05, 2022
Drew Barrymore was once one of Hollywood's most prominent child stars and certainly didn't have a conventional upbringing.
The star has frequently called out the film industry and her mother for exposing her to so much so young. So, it's not surprising that the actress has taken a different approach to raising her kids.
Barrymore welcomed her first child, daughter Olive, in 2012 with then-husband Will Kopelman. Two years later, the couple welcomed their second daughter, Frankie, in 2014.
Barrymore, who had married Kopelman in 2012, ended up calling it quits with her husband in 2016, leaving the two to be co-parents to their two daughters.
“[Divorce] was just, like, my worst nightmare [as a parent],” Barrymore Ellen DeGeneres while on her show in 2017, according to Entertainment Tonight. “I wanted to raise kids in this ultra-traditional way and do everything so the polar opposite of my experience.”
Barrymore has since been open about her journey with parenting her children, and the difficulties that sometimes come with it.
Here are 6 rules Drew Barrymore makes her kids follow.
1. Drew sets boundaries for her daughters.
While on Demi Lovato's podcast, '4-D With Demi Lovato, in May 2021, Barrymore opened up about her relationship with her children.
"I'm having amazing real realizations about my own kids and how little I understood what boundaries were," Barrymore said.
"I didn't have them growing up and when you're a parent, you try to compensate with so much love and you're almost afraid to get into the argument sometimes, you're just trying to survive the day, so you let things slide and you're like, 'Oh, there should have been a boundary in that place probably a while ago but I guess I'm only realizing that now.'"
She continued, expressing the importance of setting boundaries with Olive and Frankie, often telling them that she will "never be their friend."
"Like, I'm your parent, I'm not your friend," she explained, adding, "You can be friendly and do activities, it's not that it has to be this strict relationship."
2. After her divorce from Will Kopelman, Drew's "first priority" was her children.
After Kopelman and Barrymore announced their divorce in 2016, the couple released a statement, sharing that their children will be their "first priority" moving forward, according to People.
In an interview with UK magazine, YOU, Barrymore revealed that getting a divorce had been her "worst fear" because she didn't want to "put [her] children through" it.
“Will and I have worked so hard over the years. I can’t tell you how hard it was. People who make co-parenting look easy… well, good for you. He and I really tried and it was messy and painful at times but we kept our eyes on the prize of our kids. It was always about what is best for the girls.”
3. Drew makes sure to have respect when it comes to her daughters.
During an appearance on 'The Ellen DeGeneres' show in 2017, Barrymore expressed the importance of having respect and that "the tone you set" is crucial when it comes to co-parenting.
You can talk until you’re blue in the face, but kids watch what you do every single day of your life, all day long,” she explained.
“That behavior and that example and that love and community and honesty is just I think what’s making everything feel safe for my kids and that’s really the intention I had as a parent ― was how do my kids have this incredible sense of freedom inside their heart because they know I’ve got them, and their dad’s got them, and [the rest of their family’s got them]."
4. She chooses not to share her kids on social media.
Back in September 2021, while on Dax Shepherd and Monica Padman's podcast, 'The Armchair Expert,' the actress explained why she is adamant about not “[putting her] kids on social media.”
“I want them to be kids … I’m like a f–king Doberman about them,” Barrymore said, adding that even though Olive and Frankie “love social media” and “watch TikTok,” she has a strict rule when it comes to them being featured on the platform.
“They get in a bad mood when they realize they won’t be put on camera. But they know why, because I’m like, ‘I want you to be kids!'”
5. Drew describes herself as a "rock-solid" parent who will always be there for her kids.
While speaking to the Associated Press in 2015, Barrymore opened up about motherhood and her strong relationship with her daughters.
“I am unbreakably in love with them and will be every single day for the rest of my life no matter how nuts they drive me,” she said. “I am that rock-solid, ‘will always be there for them’ parent.”
6. She won't hide her past from her daughters.
In a 2018 interview with Today, Barrymore candidly said she knew that, at some point, her daughters would learn about their mother's history with drugs and alcohol at a young age, though she's not fearful of that day.
"When my kids figure out some of the things I did in my childhood, I'm like, 'Yeah, and that makes me all the more insightful to when you're pulling crap on me,''' Barrymore said. "I was born for teenage girls. You are my karma and don't worry, I know everything you're up to."
"They've made me such a calmer, better person,'' she said. "I'll never take the tone with them of work is bad, my past is bad, life is bad. This is the adventure and journey we're on, but you have to be nice, and safe."
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter.