Garcelle Beauvais: 'Co-parenting is not always easy'
Garcelle Beauvais spoke to Celebrity Baby Scoop about her 7-year-old twin sons Jax and Jaid, her new children’s book "I Am Living In 2 Homes" and her best tips for co-parenting. Credit: Celebrity Baby Scoop
Actress Garcelle Beauvais believes in living a healthy and active lifestyle. "The Mentalist" star, 47, opened up to Celebrity Baby Scoop about her 7-year-old twin sons Jax and Jaid, her new children’s book "I Am Living In 2 Homes" and her best tips for co-parenting.
Q. How are your sons doing? What are they up to these days?
“My boys are great — full of energy and thankfully back in school. I try and tire them out [laughs]. Jax plays baseball, and they both play flag football and take karate. Right now, they’re into Minecraft. So my deal with them is read one book and you get to play on the iPad for half an hour. If they read two books, they get an hour. So far it seems to be working.”
Q. How do you encourage your boys to live a healthy life? What are some of their favorite physical activities and healthy snacks?
“We stay active. I like them outside running around, and, living in California where the weather is always good, it’s easy for them to be outside. We eat a lot of fruits. Jax loves a salad with dinner and Jaid loves tomatoes. They also like steamed carrots and spinach. It’s crazy, when I was a kid, you’d have to force me to eat veggies. But I think kids mimic what they see, so I try and eat healthy."
Q. Tell us about your new book, "I Am Living In 2 Homes." What inspired the book? What is it all about?
“The book was inspired by my boys. Since my divorce, the boys have to go back-and-forth between their dad and myself. I really wanted to write a book that shows kids that you can live in two homes and still be a family. And, most importantly, know that it’s not their fault that their mommy and daddy no longer want to live together but we will always love them. The book is written from a child’s point of view. I feel it’s really important to start a conversation and help them share their emotions.”
Q. What are some of your best co-parenting tips? How do you balance two homes with peace, harmony and kindness?
“Co-parenting is not always easy, but what Mike and I have been able to do is put the kids first. We have a set schedule. We’re pretty much on the same page discipline wise. I can’t control what he does at his house. I can only control my house — that’s something I had to learn, so I could let some things go that irate me. We’re both at the boys’ games together, and from time to time we may do something as a family. We don’t bad-mouth each other to the kids. And at the end of the day, we hope the boys will be well adjusted, thriving and happy. I think you can only get that if the parents are at peace and doing the best they can.”
Q. What’s up next for you?
“Right now I’m promoting the books, which is keeping me busy. I have an ark on "The Mentalist" this season and I am reading scripts for movies. And, of course, being a mommy.”
