Julia Roberts' 'simple rules' of parenting prevented her children from becoming phone-obsessed

In a world driven by technology, smartphones have become a necessity rather than a luxury. With kids exhausting themselves by overusing phones, parents are tasked with the weight of balancing the same. It is hard to set boundaries when it comes to the use of smart devices, especially with children. The ever-beautiful Julia Roberts spoke with Today and shared her top-notch approach to combating the technology and smartphone craze. She shared the "simple rules" she follows when it comes to parenting her kids, which help her keep them away from phone addictions and other repercussions in a healthy way. The stunning actor is the mother to 19-year-old twins Hazel and Phinnaeus and 16-year-old son Henry.

While parenting in these teenage phases has exceptional trials, Roberts handles it with her charming personality and outlook on parenting. “So, for us, we just had sort of simple rules where we had a charging station, where everybody’s phone goes when you get home,” Roberts revealed. She added that there are no phones used at the table. She further mentioned that though her kids have grown up, she has tweaked her parenting style only a little and not much is different. She shared that her rules are no different inside and outside their homes. “I parent them the same way out of the house that I parented them in, which is, you know, ‘Are you getting enough sleep?’ And ‘You sound like you’re sick.’ And ‘Are you drinking tea?’” she said.

Roberts also shared how it is technology that she uses to stay connected with her children, whether it’s a text or a phone call. “Text me when you get home you get home (so) I can see that you’re home safe and sound,” is one of the things she constantly says while going back and forth with her kids. She pointed out that she ensures she appreciates her twins for allowing her to parent them just as she used to when they were younger. “They still allow me to be the same mom to them and it’s not eye-rolling and there’s a huge amount of understanding,” she added. Roberts mentioned that having the simple rule of no phones coupled with the understanding that she exercises is key to making things work. While the actor does have her simple rules, she also ensures that her kids understand the reasons and also know that she is simply looking out for them over just being controlling.

In addition to having texts and phone calls, the actor-mom also bonds with her kids and family over FaceTime. Roberts shared how having different time schedules and sometimes being away for shoots and so on allows her to balance her use of technology with her kids. “And we all were on FaceTime the other day together, all of us. And it was so fun. I might’ve had a towel on my wet head. We were all so happy to be together in that way that we are still so deeply in love," she said. The 56-year-old actor enjoys her parenting journey and appreciates each moment as it comes. As for the technology bit, she surely ensures that it doesn't become an obstruction during family time but stays as a source to enhance bonding.