Actress Jordana Brewster may be best known for playing Mia in the Fast and the Furious franchise. However, she currently plays Maureen Cahill on the TV series Lethal Weapon. That makes me happy to write because I know one of the writers on that show (holla, M-!) . However, Jordana and I have more in common than knowing an LW writer, we both have sailor mouths that need to be kept in check round our little ones.
Jordana Brewster admits she has a little bit of a potty mouth — and that, like many parents can probably empathize with, it has rubbed off a little on her 3½-year-old.
Talking to PEOPLE, the Lethal Weapon star says, “If I could redo one parenting moment, I think I would never swear in front of my son Julian.”
“And my husband [producer Andrew Form] warned me about that and I was like, ‘No no no, he’s never gonna pick it up,’ but he did,” confesses Brewster, 36. “And it’s really hard to rein it in once they do pick it up, so that’s a little piece of advice I’d give.”
Another thing the actress’s older son (she and Form, who will celebrate 10 years of marriage on May 6, also share 10-month-old Rowan) gets from his mama? Her fiery disposition.
“Julian has a massive temper,” she shares. “Rowan is very mellow so far, so he’s a lot more like my husband, whereas Julian … he gets over things really quickly, so that’s like me, but he flares up. I think that’s his Brazilian blood.”
Brewster continues, “So if he stubs his foot, he’s like, ‘Table!’ And he’ll scream at the table, but then he’s over it. But he definitely has a temper, so that’s my kid.”
The Fast and the Furious alum jokes she has “aspirations to be a strict parent” but is “pretty whipped” by Julian, whom she admits is “a pretty spoiled kid so far” — something she’s trying to change.
[From People]
A show of hands from all the parents out there who swore (pun intended) that they would not curse in front of their children? And how’d that go for you? It didn’t pan out so well for me. I actually pride myself on keeping it to the lesser grade cursing. I have become adept at curbing my foul-mouthed ways when the children are present but I cannot not give up The Big Big D (HMS Pinafore reference for all my theater-loving friends.) And my stupid children call me out for it Every.Single.Time. Just wait until they start driving in LA – I’ll bring the pillow to cushion that fall from their high horse. I tend to flare-and-forget temper-wise as well. In Julian’s defense, the table usually deserves it. I can’t relate to being “whipped” by my kids but I love that she admits that – so often parents don’t think this is true but they totally are (please see my previous comment about not relating to being “whipped.” Oh wait, must run – my kid is calling me.)
For those who follow the Furious films, Jordana’s Mia did not appear in the latest one. Mia is the love interest of Brian, who was played by the late Paul Walker. Jordana agreed that it didn’t make sense for her to appear if Brian wasn’t there. Plus, she said for her personally, it would have been hard for her to portray that character without her friend. But, Mia is Dom’s (played by Vin Diesel) sister so even though she sat Furious 8 out, she could always come back for Furious 9-23.
By the way, today is Jordana’s birthday so a very Happy F—king Birthday to You, Jordana!
Photo credit: Fame/Flynet Photos and Instagram
This is my first time reading any interviews with Jordana and I think she comes off as very down to earth. I think there can be a healthy balance between being spoiled and being an actual brat. Children who come from a privileged background will always seem spoiled when compared to kids who have less than them because their parents can naturally afford to give them things that a less privileged parent simply can’t provide, but this doesn’t mean that the child automatically has to be a spoiled brat or jerk.
My biggest issue with kids I come across is when they’re rude, which many privileged children are. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m far more inclined to get a bit “judgey” of a parent whose child has no manners than I am to judge for their child cursing. All kids love to push the envelope with using “grown up words” throughout their entire youth… it’s a much bigger issue when a kid over the age of about 3 still can’t grasp the concept of saying “please” and “thank you.”
I love that she isn’t acting like some perfect parent like so many do, especially in Hollywood. Parenting is hard and you try so hard to do everything right but you always make mistakes. Looks like she knows it, owns it, and wants to work on it so I give her props. I really don’t know much about her but she seems down to earth.
Now I’m going to have to listen to HMS Pinafore because that is one of my favorite parts – (what never? Well, hardly ever!!!)
I think trying not to swear is a valiant thing to try, but the reality is that kids are spongey little mynah birds and it seems like they only need to hear something once (well, anything that doesn’t involve the words “don’t do that”) before they are repeating it over and over again. Especially if they know it is going to get a big reaction out of you.
Growing up, my mom would swear in front of us, but I’ve still never heard my father say bad words. Now, I have a potty mouth. Not her fault at all. I’m not the only person in the world who swears! I’m going to be 39 this week and now my mom tells me to stop swearing. She didn’t, why should I?
I swore here and there.when my kids were older elementary aged & up. Not every day, but often enough, usually due to injury ( studies have shown it helps manage pain! No joke!). My kids never swore in front of anyone else, and as they aged, I told them it was okay to do so at home, but made sure they know appropriate vs. inappropriate arenas for those colorful words.
The two 16 year olds swear at home now, and with friends, but never in school/appointments/in front of other kids’ parents. I think it’s fine; but man, those toddlers will parrot it and try to get a reaction out of you! I remember kids of a friend really testing her. LOL.
Swearing is not a big deal in the house if it is used in the right context.
I have a foul mouth and it feels GOOD.
But I tell my kids never to use those words in front of other people or in school. It has worked so far because IT’s NOT A BIG DEAL. If you make it a big deal, they’ll use it over and over again. However, like someone said above, kids who don’t make eye contact (for non-medical reasons), who are rude and entitled are the real issue for me.
Same here. And anyway – I like swearing. It’s creative.
Two things – 1) as you say, make sure your kids can code switch, whether it be swearing, slang or whatever, for appropriate environments; 2) reprimand if they swear AT someone and just ignore if they swear when they stub their toe.
Agree with you both, per my post, above!
I also like swearing. Makes a sentence more interesting.
At about 3,my nephew stubbed his toe and yelled out “Jesus Christ”. After that we told him to say “cheese and rice” instead. He did it.
What’s with this stereotype that Latinos have a temper? I’m over it. My Latino husband is the slowest person to anger that I’ve ever known. I’m of Irish and Scottish heritage, and keeping my temper in check is a lifelong learning process for me.
It just makes me frustrated I guess because I have Latina friends who live with people assuming they will fly off the handle, because they must be “fiery” due to their ethnicity. The Latina women I know actually live with a TON of stereotyping, and we are on a very diverse area where you would expect better! I think it would be nice if people would stop perpetuating that. Her son may very well have a temper like her, but it doesn’t have anything to do with Brazil. Some humans have tempers and some are slow to anger. You will find this in every place on earth.
I thought a lot about that. One time someone told me that I looked angry when I talked in Portuguese with my family. We speak and express ourselves in a more intense way. (I am talking about Italians, Spanish, Portuguese and Brazilians who are the ones I know, so Latinos and/or Mediterranians).
I guess the stereotyping comes from there. But I also have lots of Brazilian women friends who apply this stereotype to themselves… It’s a sexy feminine trait that many women perpetuate such as Sofia Vergara. Which is, I agree, completely false and reductive and sometime sis applied to men as well. Very irritating. It bothered me too. Actually the whole “he is me” kind of thing bugs the hell out of me but that’s a whole other issue.
So my baby can’t say the word “frog” instead it comes out as “f#ck”. it’s so funny. We get the biggest kick out of it.
Now my older children on the other hand, are allowed to say ONE curse word every year on vacation. We make it a super big deal. We talk about it all year long and pump them up. We tell them if they accidentally slip and say a curse word throughout the year before our vacation, not only do they get in trouble but they forfeit their free curse word.
Eventually vacation time comes and on the last night of vacation we perform our little ritual. Each child stands on the balcony, is turned around three times with a paper airplane in his hand and he then screams his swearword at the top of his lungs and launches his airplane into the sky. And then that’s it. No one gets in trouble. Everyone is satisfied. And what’s really funny is all of our vacationing neighbors are briefed days in advance (for obvious reasons) that this will be happening, so we tend to get a little audience who clap and cheer them on.
We also tell them when they turn 15 they can curse in the house around just us but the second we find out they curse anywhere else they lose their privledge and can’t earn it back until they are 18.
So far, so good.
This is so funny! Is this real?
If you read my comment above about not making these things a big deal, then you attitude is the exact reverse of mine! You make them wait a whole year for their curse word and you prevent the neighbors? Bless.
To each his own I guess! 😁
Oh yeah, it’s very real. My husband says he thinks this is the year they graduate from a paper airplane to lighting a lighter and then blowing it out. I’m like “not no, but hell naw”
We are very unconventional to say the least.
@Psu Doh Nihm Excellent story and excellent screen name btw !!
this is adorable
Nice screen name!
That’s amazing. That’s my kind of parenting! Lol
One year, one of my little went on and on all year about he just “didn’t think he could do it, because Santa won’t come, or because Jesus, etc” and we were like “we respect that, it’s totally your choice not to”
Well the time came and his brother tepidly did his thing (his word was sh!t) and as we were doing our closing ceremony, he decided at the last minute he, in fact, would say “just a small curse word” so we spun him around and he crept up to the balcony and belted out the mother of all curse words at the top of his lungs. We totally weren’t expecting him to say, much less scream so violently, that word of all words, because all year he was rather snobbish and condescending towards his brother for wanting to do it.
I believe he was about 5 at the time.
I always curse in front of my niece’s & nephews bc I forget they’re around, within earshot anyway & my brother is always calling me out on it. I guess for the kids I’m just “that” aunt with the sailor mouth, & they think I’m pretty damn cool, lol
Honestly I think it’s hilarious when kids curse, the idea of “bad” words is a little silly. Someone just decided these words were inappropriate and we have to go with it. I do make sure my kid knows not to say anything in public or to her friends. I don’t curse in front of her often but things do slip out, she accidentally said “that penguin has poop shooting out of his ass” in front of me the other day and the look of terror on her face was hilarious and I lost it, she’s 9. I was impressed with the ease of it rolling off her tongue though. I also use proper words for anatomy like vagina, Vulva, penis, clitoris, etc, a lot of parents don’t appreciate that I’m sure but I work in the medical field so it’s common language there, plus I don’t want her thinking those are naughty things to say, I don’t want her to feel ashamed when referring to her own damn body.
I was raised in a ridiculously strict home where I couldn’t even say “butt,” so of course, I have a filthy mouth as an adult. Two of my kids are people pleasers, so they have always followed the guideline that some words are “grown up words.” My other kid, on the other hand….well, he sounds like his parents. He’s our precocious child. Thankfully, he puts himself in “restricted mode” outside of our home (most of the time).