Courteney Cox is reflecting on her parenting journey now that her daughter, Coco Arquette is 19.
The Friends star, 59, sat down for an interview with Minnie Driver on her Minnie Questions podcast and got candid about her parenting style – albeit with the hindsight of 20/20 vision now that Coco is grown up.
Talking about situations Coco went through in the past, Courteney – who dined out with friends at Giorgio Baldi recently – said: ‘I didn’t want to step in even though I knew something wasn’t right because she would get so mad at me.’
Like many kids, Coco, whom Courteney shares with ex-husband David Arquette, 52, was convinced her mother didn’t understand what she was going through and insisted on going her own way.
‘I did understand and I should’ve trusted myself and I should’ve stepped in,’ the Cougar Town alum added.
Courteney Cox is reflecting on her parenting journey now that her daughter, Coco Arquette is 19
The Friends star, 59, sat down for an interview with Minnie Driver on her Minnie Questions podcast and got candid about her parenting style – albeit with the hindsight of 20/20 vision now that Coco is grown up
‘I’m not saying I made her who she is, but you do see things in other people, whether it’s just always taking care of people and being the nicest person,’ she continued.
But Courteney recognizes that she’s saying all of this from a different place in life – not who she was years ago when the situations cropped up.
‘And I mean, that’s one of the things with age, I’ve learned to say no, I’ve learned to have boundaries.
‘But I mean, earlier on when she was a kid or not even that many years ago, I wish I’d been a firmer parent,’ she explained.
‘People will say, “Why do you let Coco wear so much makeup?” She’s been wearing makeup forever, that is a self-expression for her,’ Cox explained.
‘She loves to dress up. She will dye her hair, it was purple a week ago, I think right now it’s blonde underneath before it was blue.’
The Scream actress joked that Coco has changed her hair color so many times that ‘we’ve ruined the bathroom 1,000 times.’
But in the end, kids will be kids. ‘I think we just have to let them be themselves with boundaries, of course,’ she said. ‘I am not great at boundaries. I have to get better at it.’
Host Driver also asked Courtney if there was anything she didn’t like about herself.
Talking about situations Coco went through in the past, Courteney said: ‘I didn’t want to step in even though I knew something wasn’t right because she would get so mad at me’
Like many kids, Coco, whom Courteney shares with ex-husband David Arquette, 52, was convinced her mother didn’t understand what she was going through and insisted on going her own way
‘I did understand and I should’ve trusted myself and I should’ve stepped in,’ the Cougar Town alum added
‘I’m not saying I made her who she is, but you do see things in other people, whether it’s just always taking care of people and being the nicest person,’ she continued
But Courteney recognizes that she’s saying all of this from a different place in life – not who she was 15 -20 years ago, pictured with Coco’s father David Arquette in 2019
‘And I mean, that’s one of the things with age, I’ve learned to say no, I’ve learned to have boundaries. But I mean, earlier on when she was a kid or not even that many years ago, I wish I’d been a firmer parent,’ she explained
‘The thing I like least about myself would be any feelings of jealousy,’ she shared, adding that she’s not sure if it is age or insecurity or what leads to her jealousy.
‘Whether you can feel replaced or whether it’s… I think just jealousy is such a horrible emotion to have, and I have that sometimes.
‘I get jealous or afraid, whether it’s because I’m getting older and I can’t stay in the game, or it could be about anything, but anytime I feel jealous, I can’t stand it,’ she continued.
‘I will talk to my therapist and go, ‘I just hate this feeling,’ she added.