Katherine Heigl says she's trying to teach her daughters not to be people pleasers for a sound reason

Mothers have the ability within themselves to do whatever it takes for the welfare of their kids. Any mother would be willing to go to any lengths for their child to help them in their growth and vouch for them to become responsible and kind adults. Katherine Heigl, splendid actress and mom shared an interview with New Beauty and spilled the beans on how she is doing the same for her kids. The outlet shared that the actress, who is mom to two daughters Adalaide and Naleigh and son Joshua spoke about how she teaches her children not to be people pleasers and maintain boundaries.

The actress who also goes as Katie spoke about how she is trying to build healthy boundaries. “It took me, as a human in this human experience, a couple of cycles to figure out how to stand up for myself without it coming from a place of defensiveness or aggressiveness,” she said. She highlighted the fact that she is trying to build calm and confidence as opposed to being angry. “It’s important to say, ‘This is my boundary.’ But setting boundaries is always hard,” Katie confessed. The mom also pointed out that no matter the relationship, boundaries are a must. 

“It’s always hard to create a boundary with another human being. They don’t like it! I don’t like it either. But it’s necessary, and it’s what I keep trying to teach my daughters,” she added. Coming to the vibrant perspective she uses as a mom to teach her kids boundaries, Katie explained that she aims towards tarnishing prevalent stereotypes. “I don’t want to make it a gender issue, but I do think there is this under-the-radar, unsaid, collectively understood vibe that women are meant to be ‘pleasing,’” she said. While Katie was sure that she wasn’t teaching her kids the aforementioned stereotype, she guessed that her kids were learning it somewhere.

“There’s a definite message of ‘please everyone, except yourself,’” she added. Katie mentioned that this idea would eventually lead to a lack of boundaries in her children. The mom shared her worries about her eldest daughter and said that she tries to explain to her daughter. “I keep saying, ‘I need you to understand that that is not your job,’” the mom said. Katie further added that even through all her parenting, there would be a part of her daughter that wouldn’t understand “till she had garnered experience and wisdom.” 

“But I want to keep hammering it home,” Katie said, insisting that her kids needed to understand the importance of boundaries. The actress shared how she gently works her way into making her children comprehend the same. “It’s not your job to make everybody else feel comfortable, happy, safe, liked, or adored. It is your job to make sure you know who you are, you know what your boundaries are,” she said. Adding another powerful statement that she serves as a life lesson to her kids, Katie said, “You have to know what you will—or will not—put up with, and then, hopefully, handle that graciously. You don’t have to attack people, but you do have to stand up for yourself.”