Jessica Alba admits using spy cameras to keep an eye on her children during home schooling

Mother of three opened up about what lockdown has taught her about parenting

Emily Cope
Saturday 16 January 2021 12:15 GMT
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Jessica Alba may be a world-famous actress, but it seems she’s also found parenting during the pandemic a challenge.

The mother of three admitted she uses spy cameras to make sure her daughters – Honor, 13 and Haven, nine – behave during their home schooling lessons.

Speaking on The Ellen Show, Alba, 39, said: “I have spy cameras in their rooms, so I can see, are they messing around? Are they focusing? I can call them out.  

“If they fight, I can rewind and see who really hit who first.”

Alba added that she’s encouraged her children to stick to the same morning routine as if they were going to school, instead of having lessons from home.

"They get up, eat their breakfast, take a shower. They do everything they would do if they were going to school, that has helped a lot with just organising the day," she said.

In December Alba – who also has a son, Hayes, three – told Women’s Health that she’s learnt a lot about herself and what really matters during lockdown.

“The pandemic has forced me to be comfortable with things not being completely buttoned up, with allowing myself to not always have the answer, for mistakes to kind of stay as is,” she said.

“It’s also reinforced that real joy comes from the moments when, you know, we’re playing a game with the kids at dinner, or when Hayes wants to show us his latest trick on the scooter, or from our family walks. That’s the stuff that truly matters.”

Alba revealed on The Ellen Show that her family have coped with the ongoing confinement by binge-watching TV and bonding over TikTok dances – but says her children find her “cringey”.

“They think I'm the most cringey mom, the definition of cringey,” added Alba. “They actually said that I should use the hashtag #CringeyMom [on TikTok]. I'm like, 'That's so mean! There are so many more cringey moms than me, guys!'”

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