Katherine Heigl is getting real about how overwhelming parenting teens can be.
In a new interview with PEOPLE, the actress opened up about the anxiety she faces as a mom to two teenage daughters and how much her parenting style has had to shift now that her kids are growing up fast.
The 46-year-old mom of three shares daughters Naleigh, 15, and Adalaide, 13, along with eight-year-old son Joshua, with her husband, Josh Kelley. And while raising young kids came with its own challenges, Heigl says the teen years have hit her differently, mostly because she no longer feels fully in control.
“It really increases your anxiety and your fear as a parent,” she explained. “You are not as in control as you were when they were little, when you had all the power of keeping them safe and guiding choices. They are their own little people now, and they really have their own minds, and they’re going through it. It’s a tumultuous time.”
With both of her daughters now deep into the world of TikTok trends, makeup, and sisterly drama, Heigl says she tries not to intervene too much when things get heated between them. Instead of playing referee, she lets them sort things out on their own, even if that means walking out of the room. “They’re very close, but they’re teenage girls. They’re going to fight,” she said. “I do not try to interfere or navigate or referee. I walk out of the room, and I’m like, ‘They’ll work it out,’ and they always do.”
Still, Heigl admits the journey isn’t always smooth, especially when it comes to managing her own emotions. She confessed that her most shameful parenting moments come when she loses her temper, and she recently had to apologize to her children for doing just that. “My most shameful moments as a parent are when I lose my temper. And I recently did and had to apologize.”
Despite the stress and the self-doubt, Heigl is focused on being the best version of herself for her kids, because to her, setting the right example matters most. “My prayer every night is that I am the right mother for each of my children and their individual needs so that when they get to be adults, they can go slay their own dragons,” she said.
For Heigl, parenting teens isn’t just about rules or routines, it’s about learning to let go while still being fully present. And if you ask her, she’s still figuring it out, just like every other mom trying to raise good humans in a chaotic world.
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