SARAH Jessica Parker has revealed she keeps junk food around her twin daughters due to her having an unhealthy restrictive diet as a child.
The Sex and the City alum opened up about her eating habits and wanting her children to have a positive relationship with food while guesting on Ruthie’s Table 4 podcast.
Sarah, 59, revealed she keeps sweet treats around her home to foster a relaxed attitude about food for her daughters, Tabitha and Marion, 14 – something she lacked while growing up.
The And Just Like That… star shares her twin daughters and a son, James Wilkie, 21, with her husband, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off star, Matthew Broderick, 62.
The actress explained that she and her husband promote a non-restrictive diet, as she told the podcast’s host, Ruth Rogers, “I [have] girls. I didn’t want them to have a relationship with food that was antagonistic or they felt like this was their enemy and that they were going to have to sort of like stake out a position with food.”
Ruth is an American-born British chef who owns and runs the Michelin-starred Italian restaurant The River Café in London.
Sarah revealed that desserts weren’t allowed in the house when she was a child, adding, “Of course, all we did the minute we moved out was buy Entenmann’s cakes and cookies.”
She emphasized, “I didn’t want that [for my kids].”
“In our house, we have cookies, we have cake, we have everything, the Hocus Pocus star told Ruthie before explaining, “I think as a result, you kind of have a healthier relationship.”
“My daughters will have the figures they have and hopefully they’ll be healthy and they’re athletes and they enjoy food,” she continued.
Fans of the Emmy Award-winning actress discussed Sarah and Matthew’s approach to their children eating junk food on a pop-culture-dedicated Reddit board.
One person wrote, “We do similarly with our kids and have never really over-restricted access to treats/candy, and the difference when they have friends over is really stark.
They explained, “Our first movie night, we just left the treats out like we always do, and didn’t really think about it. They ate everything. Kids went home with stomach aches. The binging from restriction is real!!!”
“I am with her on this! commented another.
The Redditor continued, “From the moment I learned I was pregnant and especially after learning it was a girl I’ve been so conscious of this and trying to improve my own relationship with food for their sakes.”
A third commenter stated, “I try to have a lot of empathy for the adults in my life that perpetuated this cycle. They had disordered thinking and traumas and didn’t know any better.”
“I wanna tell my 14-year-old self that binging on grapes in the dead of night is not the answer,” joked a fourth.
One writer commented, “Yes!” adding, “My daughter rarely is moved by sweets because they’re always around.”
“Same! I keep sweets around too. And while my kids love them, they will also just leave them too. It’s what I wanted for them but still mind-blowing at the same time!” agreed another.
The fans continued to provide examples of similar upbringings from their own lives, as one person mentioned, “My parents made sure our meals were nutritious and healthy but were very relaxed about junk food and sweets, so both my sibling and I grew up rather indifferent to them!”
“The second I started to develop, my father put me on a starvation diet, and it resulted in a 30-year eating disorder,” shared a second fan.
The Redditor added, “I commend SJP for what she is doing for her daughters.”
OKAY, BUTT…
Last year, Sarah posed for a rare selfie with all three of her children and husband Matthew Broderick at home.
Sarah, Matthew, James, and twins Tabitha and Marion spent Thanksgiving in California.
Brown University sophomore posted photos from their weekend together at what looked like his parents’ rental property in Orange County.
He shared a photo of the family of five wearing pajamas and cuddled up in bed.
James was beside Sarah and the twins, while Matthew squeezed in at the end of the bed.
He posted the snapshot with the caption: “Cheers, California.”
Fans cracked up over a cheeky detail in the background of the selfie.
They noticed that Matthew’s butt was slightly exposed in the wall mirror due to his T-shirt riding up.
One wrote in a since-deleted comment: “Not your dad with his butt out.
“Feeling so violated [right now],” added another.
Others praised the cute shot, posting, “What a great picture!!” and “Family pictures are the best!”
Sarah’s kids rarely appear in the limelight, although James did attend his dad’s movie premiere in June of last year.
The student looked dapper in a suit as he posed next to Matthew at the premiere of the Jennifer Lawrence-led comedy, No Hard Feelings.
In September, Sarah was spotted enjoying a beach day with Tabitha and Marion in the Hamptons.
The HBO star set up an umbrella and chairs in the sand with her teenage daughters.
While Sarah doesn’t often spend time with her kids on the red carpet, she revealed they do a lot of family bonding at home.
FAMILY DINNER
“We really do cook five to six nights a week for sure,” the And Just Like That star said on the Table For Two with Bruce Bozzipodcast in July.
“We always have a Sunday dinner – we invite people,” she added before revealing that she teaches her kids to work for what they want.
“You want your children to understand what it means to earn money, what it takes to earn money, the value of it,” Sarah asserted.
“I think it’s a great way of living for children, that their needs are met, ” she stated before adding, “To be fed, safe and loved.”
Sarah continued, “The important things in life: books and food and interesting experiences, and they’re warm in the winter and cool in summer.
“But they should pine for things, they should want things.”
