Sarah Jessica Parker’s Honest Take on Raising Kids in Hollywood

The Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker opens up about raising children in the public eye, encouraging independence, and supporting her son’s budding acting career.

Sarah Jessica Parker is opening up about the challenges and joys of raising children in the public eye. During a recent appearance on The E! News Sitdown with Bruce Bozzi airing May 28, the 60-year-old Sex and the City star shared her thoughts on nurturing her children’s passions and independence.

“I really want my children to be educated in ways that are fulfilling to them,” Parker explained, reflecting on how she guides her eldest son, James Wilkie, 22, as he embarks on his own acting journey. “I don’t think that there is one way to be an educated person or to be equipped to be an adult and try to fashion a life for yourself after what would be considered ‘finishing college’—let’s say 22 years old.”

Parker stressed the importance of her children pursuing paths that excite and challenge them, while also learning to stand on their own feet. “You want for them to be pursuing things that are exciting and challenging and hard and gratifying,” she added. “And to be able to ultimately take care of themselves, support themselves — emotionally, financially — and that they can be in the world and be a reliable person to themselves and to other people.”

Parker’s husband, Matthew Broderick, also shared a proud fatherly moment during the interview. Reflecting on working alongside their son James in the CBS series Elsbeth, Broderick revealed, “It was great. We had two days together… He was nervous but he got over that. We had a great couple of days.”

Beyond their eldest, Parker also spoke about her twin daughters, Tabitha Hodge and Marion Loretta Elwell, 15, whom she shares with Broderick. Speaking on Jenna and Friends in April, she addressed misconceptions about her daughters. “I find mine really likable,” she said with a smile. “It’s like you’re constantly in a control study, because you have one of this type and one of this type.”

She added, “They’re just really interesting. They’re, generally speaking, really kind and curious.”

Parker concluded her interview with a message of hope for her children and others: “I’m curious to see what they all do, but I hope that they feel—I hope all young people feel—to some degree, that they have choices and that there isn’t one way.”