Katherine Schwarzenegger knew she needed a little bit of help when she got engaged to Chris Pratt. The author and personality has opened up about her parenting journey, which includes her children with Pratt: Lyla, Eloise, and Ford, and Pratt's son with his ex Anna Faris: Jack. In an honest conversation, Schwarzenegger revealed that she hired the help of a coach as soon as she got engaged to Pratt, hoping to learn some tools that could aid in her journey as a stepparent.
Schwarzenegger was recently featured on the podcast "Parenting & You with Dr Shelfi," where she opened up about raising kids in a blended household. Schwarzenegger provided some advice: “Number one thing I say is get a stepparenting therapist or stepparenting coach, because I got that right when we got engaged, and it's been incredibly helpful for me and also in just understanding my role as a stepparent."
She explained that stepparenting is a separate role, and a coach helped her understand it and make it function for her family.
“Because stepparenting, like parenting, has no handbook. Because I have the benefit of being in both roles, stepparenting is extra confusing because you aren't a parent, you're not a nanny, you're not an assistant. You have responsibilities in all of those areas, but you're not either of them. It's a confusing thing to navigate where you fit in,” she said.
She revealed that Jack, who is now 12, has four co-parents: herself, Pratt, Faris, and her husband, Michael Barrett. She shared that they all collaborate to ensure that Jack is as happy and healthy as possible.
Pratt was also featured on the podcast and shared that the role of the stepparent can feel very "thankless," so it's important for everyone to be on the same page.
Faris and Schwarzenegger's positive relationship
In the past, Faris has opened up about the challenges of living through a divorce and the perks of finding someone like Schwarzenegger to step in and help Jack. “She’s just on top of it. I love how she is with Jack," she said.
Faris shared that her relationship with Pratt has improved since their split, with her family and his managing to find a good dynamic that works for everyone involved.
"I'm happy with that element. And it feels just much easier now that time has passed. It feels really good to not live with that internal churning of unpleasantness," she concluded.