Tori Spelling recently revealed her parenting style and what it’s really like to co-parent with her husband, Dean McDermott. The actress and busy mom also shared the answer as to why she and McDermott’s different parenting approaches work best for their large family.
Work-Life Balance For The Busy Actress and Mom
Tori Spelling knows what it’s like to be busy, and not just because of her reality TV show @Home with Tori. She’s also a mom to five kids: Beau, 5; Finn, 10; Hattie, 10; Stella, 14; and Liam, 15. Plus, now that she and all of us parents are in back-to-school mode, life has become even busier for Spelling and her family.
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As her kids return to school, Spelling is committed to maintaining great relationships with her children. How does she do this? Spelling recently opened up to People about being a mom, sharing how she and Dean McDermott flourish at co-parenting.
The ‘Feelings Mom’ And The Procedural Dad
The secret to their co-parenting success? Spelling and McDermott have differing parenting approaches and varied ways of communicating. The actress is very much in touch with her feelings and brings this approach into her parenting style. In fact, Spelling talks every day with her kids about their feelings and what’s going on in their lives.
“My kids, they’ll probably say, ‘Oh, Mom asks too much about our feelings.’ That’s okay,” she shares. “I am constantly checking in and saying, ‘Okay, what’s up? What are your worries? Let’s talk about it.'”
On the other hand, her husband is great at time management and planning.
“Co-parenting, Dean and I definitely have different parenting strategies. I’m kind of the feelings mom and he’s more procedural,” Spelling remarks.
The Best of Both Worlds
This combination of parenting styles brings harmony to the Spelling/McDermott household. The couple’s emphasis on the importance of instilling both emotional intelligence and planning skills in their kids allows their children to experience a fuller version of life.
Explaining how this works for their family, Spelling shares, “You need both of those to make it work. You really do need that to be a complete human. You need both worlds.”
The actress and mom also reveals how she works in conversations with her kids so they don’t feel like it’s an interrogation each day.
“We love to bake and cook in our family and DIY…And while we’re doing that and making family dinners I work in slowly, ‘Hey, how is this? How is this?’ And you get so many more answers when they don’t feel like you’re sitting them down and asking them directly.”
Through open communication, sharing feelings, and co-parenting with someone who has a different approach, Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott have found the secret to successful co-parenting their five children.