Katherine Heigl explains how she discusses racism and racial injustice with her children during appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show
Katherine Heigl had some choice words to say about how she raises her daughters.
In an interview on the Thursday episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, the 42-year-old actress spoke about how she has been using her time with her kids to have some important conversations about race.
The Grey’s Anatomy alum adopted two daughters, Nancy Leigh being from South Korea, and Adelaide, of African-American heritage, was born in Louisiana; Heigl also shares a three-year-old son named Joshua with husband Josh Kelley.
Making it clear: Katherine Heigl spoke about raising her daughters, who are both children of color, on the Thursday episode of the Kelly Clarkson show
When prompted by Clarkson, the actress noted that the initial talks were difficult, and that she did not know how to initially broach the conversation with her kids.
‘I didn’t know how to say “there will be people in this world that don’t like you simply because of the color of your skin.”‘
She acknowledged that her job as a mother was ultimately to raise their self-esteem and make them feel good about themselves, which she felt might have been contradicted by the hard news she had to give them.
Heigl and her 40-year-old husband decided on a course of action that included watching programming that depicted historical examples of racial injustice, and subsequently talking to their children about what they’d seen.
Trouble at first: The Grey’s Anatomy actress admitted that she initially found it hard to broach the conversations with both of her daughters
A mom’s job: Heigl told Clarkson that she felt her main goal as a mother was to boost the self-esteem and confidence levels of her two daughters
During a particularly emotive moment in a program they were watching, the actress made a point of telling Adelaide that the issues seen stemmed from other people’s viewpoints, not from anything that existed with her.
Heigl then noted, ‘she goes “I know, I know, I already know, I’m totally beautiful and super cool.”‘
She then told her daughter: ‘Perhaps we should work on humility, then…your confidence seems fine.’
Clarkson responded positively to the story, opining that, ‘That’s amazing, though, that means you’re doing a great job.’
Different places: Heigl’s first adopted daughter, Nancy Leigh, was born in South Korea, and her second, Adelaide, was born in Louisiana and is of African-American heritage
Giving props: After hearing about Heigl’s parenting methods, Clarkson commended her efforts, telling the actress ‘you’re doing a great job’
Heigl then spoke about how quarantine had allowed her to really see the changes that her daughters had gone through, as she had been busy on various film and tv sets for much of their childhoods.
‘Having this sort of uninterrupted time to kind of get to know them now, they’re totally different now than they were five years ago…their little personalities are blooming.’
She did note that she wanted her children to learn the differences between right and wrong as they grew older, a sentiment that Clarkson likened to what she was trying to instill in her own kids.
Big family: The actress also has a son with her husband Josh Kelley, in addition to her two adopted daughters
Time gone by: The actress noted that, after spending much of quarantine with her daughters, she could see that ‘their little personalities are blooming’