Milla Jovovich reveals why she still co-sleeps with her big kid

by

Carolyn Robertson

posted in Celebrities

When mom-of-two Milla Jovovich recently opened up about co-sleeping with her daughter, she wasn't just talking about her brand new baby Dashiel. The 39-year-old actress revealed that she and her husband Paul W.S. Anderson also share their bed with their big kid, 7-year-old Ever Gabo.

The Resident Evil star explains why she can't quite get on board with Western ways of parenting.

“I’ve always been inspired by mothers in Third World countries. I feel that the connection with children and mothers is so strong in places where there are not so many ‘things’ to get in the way. No electronic distraction devices, no high tech baby equipment, just a mother carrying her little one everywhere, sharing a family bed and having the help of all the other women around to raise the baby," Milla tells blog Romy and the Bunnies. "I always thought that the Western way of raising kids was so disconnected. Everyone has their cubicle at home, babies go into nurseries, little kids have their own rooms. You are so separated from one another! We have been co-sleeping for years with our daughter and I feel that it’s helped us so much to stay connected as a family.”

It started when Ever was just a baby. Not comfortable with the notion of letting her daughter "cry it out," - that's "not the way I wanted to raise my child," she says - Milla instead just made room for her in their bed, where she could feed and calm her throughout the night. Many families eventually transition out of co-sleeping when their kids get bigger and more mobile, but Milla says they saw no reason to stop.

Which other celebrity families co-sleep? Take a look...

With both of them in the movie-making business, Milla and her husband, a director, often work long and odd hours. So co-sleeping with Ever gives them time to reconnect, she says. She thinks that's why her grade-schooler is now such a well-behaved and respectful kid.

"Because we share sleep at night, our daughter naturally feels very connected to us and that in turn makes her want to please us! She trusts us and listens to what we say. There is an innate sense of respect between us all that I feel can be lacking with some of the other parents and children I see in our society," she insists. "I feel that some problems that parents say are ‘typical’ i.e. arguing, defiance, tantrums, interrupting, disrespect, disobedience, screaming etc. we just haven’t had to deal with in any serious way! Of course I’m very hands on with following through on consequences when my daughter is misbehaving, but I think that because she feels totally accepted and included in our world, she doesn't want to let us down and I know that even though we disagree on things sometimes, like rules, it has made discipline so much easier for us.”

Ever sounds like a great kid, and Milla Jovovich always comes across as a very thoughtful and hands-on mom.

I can't help but note, though, that my own daughter sounds a lot like Ever: Very respectful and open, very much - too much, I sometimes worry - a "pleaser" when it comes to her behavior. We've never co-slept a day in her life, that's just her personality. There are so many factors that contribute to who our children are and how they behave, and there are so many ways for us, as parents, to form a strong connection with them.

Milla would likely agree, as she's quick to point out that she doesn't "judge other methods of parenting."

"I always say, whatever you need to do to be a happy mother is the best for baby.”

I think that's something we can all agree on!

Comment

Did/do you co-sleep? For how long?

Don't miss this post: Kourtney Kardashian’s funny photo: Co-sleeping in real life

Photo: PR Photos