Why Reese Witherspoon Thinks It's Important for Her Kids to Fail
Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon appeared on the podcast Good Inside with Dr. Becky, where she shared her parenting philosophy—which includes allowing her children to learn from failure.
"I learned so much from the paper I didn't turn in or the demerits I got, so I got detention. I was suspended from school when I was in fifth grade for talking in class and being disruptive. And writing creative notes and passing them to my friends," the Big Little Lies alum explained to Dr. Becky Kennedy.
Witherspoon noted that by her parents allowing her to realize the consequences of her actions, she was able to learn and grow. "My parents didn't say, ‘Uh, she didn't deserve that.' And take me out of school. They actually let me sit in it, and feel uncomfortable," she said.
The 47-year-old added, "So I think, learning from failure is actually a valuable tool that you can't take away from kids, right? You rob them if you don't let them sit in the discomfort of the experience."
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She then shared a story about her 24-year-old daughter Ava, recalling that the then-third-grader wanted to be on the school's basketball team because her friends were on it. The child realized she didn't actually enjoy the sport and struggled with it, crying at home after a game. Instead of sugarcoating the situation, Witherspoon decided to be honest with her daughter, telling her, "Maybe you're not good at basketball."
When Ava angrily asked, "What?! How can you tell me I'm not good at something?," the mom explained, "It's actually really important to learn what you're not good at."
Besides being mom to Ava, Witherspoon has two sons: Deacon, 19, and Tennessee, 11. She shares Ava and Deacon with her first ex-husband and Cruel Intentions co-star Ryan Phillippe and had Tennessee with her second husband, Jim Toth.
Next: Reese Witherspoon's Daughter Ava Details 'Intense' Health Struggle With Anxiety
