Days before she gave birth to her new bouncing baby boy, Tori Spelling and her husband Dean McDermott chatted with Parade.com about turning 40, how she keeps her kids engaged, and raising confident little girls.Here are some highlights:
On keeping her kids busy.
“Growing up we definitely did crafts and my mom is crafty as well so I definitely got that gene from her. But becoming a mom for me was a chance for a do-over. I get the chance to do the things I loved as a kid or always wanted to do or create new experiences for my kids that I could do with them. We literally make everything from home decor and fashion to food. We do food crafts so that involves them in cooking. We also have a lot of animals so the kids help take care of them. It’s chaotic at our house but a lot of fun. We always do everything as a family. It’s only now with Liam, 5, and Stella, 4, where it’s just starting to get split up. That’s okay that there are things he’s more interested and she’s more interested. It’s great for me because it’s more things for me to think of.”On instilling a positive self-image in her daughters.
“I’m a big believer that it’s never too young to start. There is a way of phrasing things to young ones. I’m constantly telling Stella how beautiful, smart, and funny she is. I’m encouraging her to do what she wants to do and be her own person. I’m totally into fashion and there are some days I’m like, ‘Oh gosh, I wish she was wearing this.’ But I’m not going to be that mom. I give her the freedom of choice and I want to encourage her to be her own person. Sometimes she’s standing there looking like Punky Brewster with nothing matching but that’s awesome. It’s her own style and I love that she’s doing that. Right from jump, that instills confidence in a young girl, knowing they can be who they want to be.”
On turning 40.
“I haven’t even thought about it. I have to say 39 was fine for me. 38 was okay but 39 I was like, ‘ooh, that is close to 40.’ But you know what? Wow, when I turn 40 I’m going to have four kids and I’ve accomplished so much in life. I’m happy and blessed with my kids and my husband and our animals. I’m a party planner at heart so any excuse to throw a party— though I always do it for the kids and never big ones for ourselves. But maybe at 40 I’ll throw myself a big one!”
“Growing up we definitely did crafts and my mom is crafty as well so I definitely got that gene from her. But becoming a mom for me was a chance for a do-over. I get the chance to do the things I loved as a kid or always wanted to do or create new experiences for my kids that I could do with them. We literally make everything from home decor and fashion to food. We do food crafts so that involves them in cooking. We also have a lot of animals so the kids help take care of them. It’s chaotic at our house but a lot of fun. We always do everything as a family. It’s only now with Liam, 5, and Stella, 4, where it’s just starting to get split up. That’s okay that there are things he’s more interested and she’s more interested. It’s great for me because it’s more things for me to think of.”On instilling a positive self-image in her daughters.
“I’m a big believer that it’s never too young to start. There is a way of phrasing things to young ones. I’m constantly telling Stella how beautiful, smart, and funny she is. I’m encouraging her to do what she wants to do and be her own person. I’m totally into fashion and there are some days I’m like, ‘Oh gosh, I wish she was wearing this.’ But I’m not going to be that mom. I give her the freedom of choice and I want to encourage her to be her own person. Sometimes she’s standing there looking like Punky Brewster with nothing matching but that’s awesome. It’s her own style and I love that she’s doing that. Right from jump, that instills confidence in a young girl, knowing they can be who they want to be.”
On turning 40.
“I haven’t even thought about it. I have to say 39 was fine for me. 38 was okay but 39 I was like, ‘ooh, that is close to 40.’ But you know what? Wow, when I turn 40 I’m going to have four kids and I’ve accomplished so much in life. I’m happy and blessed with my kids and my husband and our animals. I’m a party planner at heart so any excuse to throw a party— though I always do it for the kids and never big ones for ourselves. But maybe at 40 I’ll throw myself a big one!”
For more from Tori Spelling, check out Parade.com: