Fans of the Smith family are fascinated by everything they say and do. Perhaps it’s because all of them – even the kids, Jaden Smith and Willow Smith – are in the entertainment industry. Or maybe it’s just because they’re unapologetic about playing by their own rules.
The Smiths’ marriage has garnered more attention after singer August Alsina went public about his relationship with Jada. But even before this revelation, the Smiths were making headlines for their odd, unconventional lifestyle.
Two celebrities as parents can be a lot to handle, but Will and Jada Smith didn’t overcompensate for their children’s economic privileges by placing strict rules on them. Instead, they allowed their children, Jaden and Willow, to do what they liked and figure out the consequences on their own.
Will told E! News that the couple didn’t enforce any punishments. “The way that we deal with our kids is, they are responsible for their lives. Our concept is, as young as possible, give them as much control over their lives as possible, and the concept of punishment, our experience has been — it has a little too much of a negative quality,” he stated.
“So when they do things — and you know, Jaden, he’s done things — you can do anything you want as long as you can explain to me why that was the right thing to do for your life,” he added.
However, for Jada, one of the most heartbreaking moments of her life was when Jaden decided to move out of their house when he was 16. “You got to a point here. You told me straight up—you were like, ‘Mom, I have to leave here to live my life.’ I remember thinking to myself, as devastated as I was, I was like, ‘He’s right. The time is now. He’s 15. It’s time for him to leave the house,” she recalled. Though he was young, she believed her son was mature enough to manage his own life.