Carnie Wilson Talks Parenting in the Public Eye

Singer and game show host Carnie Wilson recently sat down for a new interview with Babble. In the interview, the mom-of-two talks about the media scrutiny of her weight and motherhood in the public eye.

On her parenting philosophy for daughters - Lola, 5, and Luciana, 11 months:
"You can never give your child too much love and praise, and, at the same time, it’s important to build their self-esteem. There are people of all different shapes and sizes, and I try to teach Lola that people aren’t as sensitive as she is. She’s almost five, and that’s the age kids in school start to tease each other. It hurts her. I try to teach her that you can have thick skin, but still be sensitive."

On managing tantrums in public:
"Lola doesn’t really have tantrums in public; we’re lucky. When we go into a store, she says, 'Mommy, I want this'” and I tell her no, but she doesn’t get mad. You have to learn to barter with them; kids should know they can’t always get what they want, and the world doesn’t revolve around them. Sometimes – I don’t know if it’s me laying a guilt trip on her – but I’m honest. I say, 'You have so many toys at home, and there are some kids who have no toys at all,' and she stops and thinks. I feel bad for parents who have to go through [public tantrums], but, honestly, it’s their fault for not taking care of it in the first place."

On her plan for giving her daughters a positive image about their bodies:
"I take it from a health angle. I tell them our bodies are sacred, and we have to take care of them. They’re fully aware I’m overweight. My daughter sees pictures of me when I was fifty pounds thinner, and I’ll say, 'That’s Mommy!' She’s learning what that means, and that what you put in your body makes you bigger or smaller, and what it means if your body is too big. I never look at [weight] like someone is less of a person or a bad person. When the day comes that she sees people who are thinner, I’ll tell her she has beautiful eyes, hair, smile. She’s Lola, and we have to celebrate that she was a gift from God."

Source: Babble