Gwyneth Paltrow says she didn't teach her kids about sex: 'They came home and they had been taught everything'
Gwyneth Paltrow made headlines after her brand Goop launched a vibrator that sold out in less than 24 hours, prompting conversations about sexual wellness. Still, the mother of two said that she left it up to Apple and Moses Martin's school to teach them about the birds and the bees.
"At their elementary school here in Los Angeles where they went, they gave them the most comprehensive sex-ed class in the 6th grade," Paltrow said on the Smartless podcast. "They came home and they had been taught everything. And when I say everything, I mean everything. It was wild."
When Paltrow was asked if she thought that her children had learned about it too early or too late, noting that they were 12 years old, she replied, "I thought it was perfect," continuing, "I mean, my daughter came home with her best friend, Emily ... they were stunned. They had learned things that they had never fathomed. They had taught them about venereal disease and all different kinds of sex. It was very, very comprehensive, so they were a bit stunned."
The 48-year-old who told co-hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett that she's "more or less" retired from acting — noting that "I haven't fully quit but it's been a while" — also shared that her children were a big reason for her taking a step back.
"I had a lot of success but I’m also really a homebody and I love my family," Paltrow said. "I just felt like a little bit of a fish out of water. So, that feeling grew and then once I had my daughter, I was like, 'I can't. I just can't do this. I can’t leave her.'"
Paltrow's sentiment remains true even after Apple turned 17 and approaches her college years, as the mother jokes that she'll just move nearby wherever Apple attends so that she won't have to walk by an empty room. As for what Apple and Moses do with their careers, however, Paltrow doesn't have a preference.
"I think my goal with both of my children all the time is to try to create an environment where they feel that they are accepted for who they are. And so, I try not to steer them towards or away from anything because I think implicit in that is I’m judging you for your choice," Paltrow said. "I think [Apple will] be whatever she wants to be. I hope she’s polite and happy and as normal as possible, and that she’s self-aware and all of those kinds of things. And if she wants to act, then I’ll totally support that."
When it comes to Hollywood and that industry, it wouldn't be Paltrow's first choice for her children.
"I mean, it’s very, very difficult to succeed and I think most days it can be very demoralizing. And I think as parents, right, you fundamentally want to protect your children from pain and disappointment and you know firsthand how hard it can be," she explained. "It's not my natural comfort, I don't love it. I don't like being famous."
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