Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos detail parenting their kids: 'My daughter is as strong as my sons'
Parenting three kids taught Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos a little more than they expected.
Speaking to People for the outlet's Inaugural Family Issue, the "Live with Kelly and Ryan" co-host said she thought parenting sons and daughters was going to be different than how it turned out.
"I think I had definitive ideas about raising girls versus raising boys, even though I don’t really believe in gender stereotyping," Ripa, 49, said in the interview published Wednesday. "My sons are just as sensitive as my daughter, and my daughter is as strong as my sons."
But just like kids learn with age, so did Ripa.
"As you get older and you learn more, that youngest kid hopefully benefits from a little bit more wisdom … and hopefully fewer nerves," she said, to which her youngest child, 17-year-old Joaquin, agreed and noted that his parents have been more relaxed now that he's in high school.
Michael, who's 23 and the oldest of the Consuelos kids, said he felt the effects of being the firstborn and joked that "younger siblings get to do whatever they want right out of the gate."
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Their kids also taught Ripa and Consuelos a thing or two. The mom of three said her 19-year-old daughter Lola taught her a lot about "being a modern-day woman."
"It really gives me hope — her generation really supports each other, the way she and her friends have each other’s backs," Ripa said. "For all the talk about women helping other women, I see it in her generation in a way I never have before."
Consuelos, 49, said he always thought he'd be right by Lola's side watching her at all times. Lola started her first year of college at New York University in fall 2019.
"As overprotective as I thought I would be when she was born and I was holding her in my arms, I’ve mellowed a bit," he said. "Because I’m really aware of what a good head on her shoulders she has."
Though Consuelos said he's chilled out a bit, he and Ripa did make their daughter wait until she was an adult to make her Instagram account public.
"Apparently she turned 18 and immediately went public," Ripa said.
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In May, Ripa and Consuelos celebrated their eldest child's college graduation, which looked a little different because of the coronavirus pandemic.
"2016 fours years passed in the blink of an eye and today you take your final final exam in college. Congratulations Michael! You’re a virtual graduate. Literally! #classof2020 #NYU ????????????????????????????????," Ripa captioned a throwback picture from Michael's high school graduation.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos talk parenting and what they learned