Charlize Theron is sharing details about her dating life, and the unexpected role her daughters have taken on within it.
Daughters Involved
Theron appeared this week on The Drew Barrymore Show, revealing her daughters have taken on a new role in her romance life: avid supporters.
She told Barrymore, “My kids are at an age now where they actually enjoy that I’m dating because they want to be involved. It’s really funny how I was scared they’d be threatened by it, and now they’re like, ‘Mom, is he texting you? Like, go on the date, mom.'”
While there was some fear that her children, Jackson (14), and August (11), would be “threatened” by their mother pursuing relationships, the opposite is true.
Guidelines for Dating
That encouragement only goes so far for Theron, as she has a clear picture of what she wants from a relationship, and living arrangements if the relationship gets that far.
That includes straying away from a more traditional living arrangement.
“I really mean this — people think I joke — I don’t think I could ever live with somebody again. I would love for you to be close, like buy the house down the street, but I don’t know if I can.”
However, that aversion could be due to her children. Theron did concede her opinions may change over time.
“Maybe it’s because I still have my daughters in the house, and maybe that will change when I’m an empty nester, but I’m looking for something very specific.”
Barrymore added to the conversation, saying, “I love also prioritizing my kids and that has never felt like the wrong move for me, and you seem the same way.”
Theron agreed, sharing, “It’s impossible not to. Your kids come first. They always come first.”
Adoption
The famed actress adopted her eldest daughter, Jackson, in 2012, and her younger daughter, August, in 2015.
Theron has long talked about her decision to create a family through adoption. She stated so in a 2018 interview with People that it was always her aim.
“Even when I was in relationships, I was always honest with my partners that adoption was how my family would look one day. This was definitely not a second option for me. It was always my first.”
She’s also talked about the responsibilities she has as a mother raising two Black daughters.
In an interview with ELLE, Theron said growing up during apartheid in South Africa made her “hyperaware of equality and human rights.”
She added, “I want them to know who they are, and I want them to be so f—ing proud of who they are. Building confidence for them right now is an oath I made to myself when I brought them home. They need to know where they come from and be proud of that.”
She finished by saying, “But they’re going to have to know that it’s a different climate for them than it is for me, and how unfair that is. If I can do something about that, of course I’m going to.”
Parenting Older Children
More recently, Charlize Theron has addressed the realities of parenting older children. She appeared on the April 22nd episode of the New Heights podcast.
When co-host Jason Kelce asked what’s ahead of him, as he has four young girls, Theron didn’t hold back.
“They just turn into hormonal nightmares. Like, I’m getting my a– handed to me from the moment that I walk into the house. And all these things are gonna serve them so well in life, but I might not make it.”