Gwyneth Paltrow got together with Gabrielle Union on Tuesday, March 30 to discuss all of the trials and tribulations that come with being a step-parent.
When the Avengers: End Game actress married husband Brad Falchuk in September 2018, she became step-mom to his daughter, Isabella, and son, Brody. Who better to discuss the situation with than Union, who has been helping to raise her husband Dwyane Wade’s children from previous relationships since they wed in August 2014?
“I have two beautiful stepchildren who are the same age as mine,” Paltrow said during an episode of The Goop Podcast. “When I became a stepmother, when I knew I was going to become a stepmother, I was like, ‘S**t, I have no idea how to do this. There’s nothing to read. What do I do? Where do I step in? Where do I not? How do I do this?’”
She went on to note that while there have been “challenges,” she has “learned so much about [herself] through the process.”
Back in 2019, the Shakespeare in Love actress--who shares daughter Apple, and son, Moses, with ex-husband Chris Martin--told Jimmy Kimmel that her and Falchuk made sure to transition into a blended family slowly.
“We were just trying to be mindful and give them a little space and not move too quickly,” she explained at the time. “Less merging originally, but now we’re merged.”
As for the Bring It On actress, she lives by one simple rule when it comes to being a step-mom: staying “above the fray,” which means never speaking negatively about the mothers of Wade’s children.
“Whoever you are, just be consistent so everyone can get used to who the hell you are really and you’re not putting on an act and then the mask falls off,” she told Paltrow during the podcast.
“If you’re going to be a pushover, be a pushover,” she continued. “If you’re going to be a disciplinarian, be a disciplinarian. But be consistent so that [the kids] can get used to whoever it is that you are.”
The actress went on to call kids Zaire, Zaya and Xavier “dope,” going on to say, “I have a lot of proud moments where I’m, like, in tears. They are smart, they are kind and just all-around amazing kids, and I tell them that.”
