Eva Mendes is opening up about parenting.
The 50-year-old actress, who has daughters Esmeralda, 10, and Amada, 8, with partner Ryan Gosling, spoke about her children in an interview on Parenting & You With Dr. Shefali.
“I think one of the most difficult patterns for me is yelling, because I don’t yell when they need me,” Eva said.
Read on to find out more…
“I’m never a ‘shut up’ guy. It’s not a ‘mean’ scream, but it’s fine. I scream. And it’s this cry that I think is so cultural. ”
“I have a hard time getting through it without yelling. Rushing and yelling, that’s the hardest thing for me,” she added.
Eva was born to Cuban parents Eva Pérez Suárez and Juan Carlos Méndez, and although she grew up in a loving family, she said her upbringing was frightening.
“I hope in 20 years I don’t look back and say, ‘Oh, I’m going to shoot,’ because I don’t want to look up in fear,” Eva said, her voice breaking.
“That’s the problem. I’m sorry I got emotional. Because it’s so unfair to the kids. Fear puts pressure on them unknowingly, like I was raised with.” I hope you haven’t given it to me.
“When I was in my 20s, I definitely thought, ‘I’m never going to be like my parents,'” she admitted.
“And I’m shocked at how much I look like my mother. I love her. She’s ruined…but yeah, my home when I was little. It was very chaotic, there was a lot of screaming, a lot of anxiety, a lot of confusion, even though I had a loving family.”
“It created a lot of shame for me because I thought, ‘I have something so good.’ Mom, I fought to get here. I was the only one born in America. How could I complain? she added.
Eva also talked about raising her children in the spotlight.
“I think maybe the years of practicing with so much criticism as an actress, entertainer and public figure really helped me when it came to parenting,” she admitted. “I’m like, ‘Okay, I know this isn’t personal.’ I don’t feel judged.”
Listen to the full episode…
