Busy Philipps admits it’s been a process sending eldest child Birdie, 15, off to boarding school… but she’s ‘really confident in her ability to succeed’
Busy Philipps has revealed that her eldest child is leaving home for the first time to attend boarding school.
The actress and former chat show host admitted she struggles with the idea of Birdie, 15, moving out of the family home. PEOPLE: ‘I’m still working on it myself, as a mother who of course just wants my babies to stay close to me.’
The White Chicks star shares custody of Birdie with her ex-husband, screenwriter Marc Silverstein. They also have a 10-year-old daughter Cricket.
The Freaks And Geeks star remained candid about how she got through it all: “It’s a constant process. Parenting is continuous learning, and I think one thing I try to get back to is that I don’t succeed every time.”
“Birdie is such a strong individual,” she added of the teen she has previously described as “femme-presenting non-binary” with a preference for they/their pronouns.
“She’s such a smart, unique person that I have real confidence in her ability to succeed in whatever situation she finds herself in,” she added.
Momma bear: Busy Philipps told PEOPLE how she is preparing to send her daughter Birdie, 15, to boarding school; seen in March
Explaining that she knew her daughter wouldn’t stay at boarding school if she felt it wasn’t a good fit for her, Busy added: “If it turns out this isn’t the situation for her, and I’m not saying that so shall be the case, so be it.’
Despite the fact that the two are no longer a couple, the Girls5Eva star had nothing but kind words to say about Marc’s parenting skills, especially with Birdie’s impending move.
Although she was initially vehemently opposed to the idea of her eldest daughter going to boarding school, Marc responded more “considerately” to Birdie’s wishes.
He said, ‘Listen, why don’t we listen to this boy? Why don’t we go ahead and look at the school, talk to them and see where it takes us?”, the blonde telly star said of her supportive ex.
In the end, Busy told the outlet that the plan is for Birdie to spend all four years of high school in boarding school, but the Cougar Town star commented, “I’m open to this too, even if it’s just a year . Either way, it would be a great experience for her.”
Striking image: the I Feel Pretty star regularly shares cute mother / daughter snaps with Birdie on her Instagram page; seen in August
Showing support: The Illinois-born actress has been incredibly supportive of Birdie since they came out as gay at the age of ten
Amicable exes: Although the couple split in 2021 after 15 years of marriage, Marc and Busy still remain on good terms and are working together to co-parent their two daughters
Always Together: The talented actress has always supported her daughter’s journey towards her own identity
Despite her normal misgivings as a parent letting go of a child for the first time, Busy realized that the pandemic had been challenging for both Birdie and Cricket.
“These kids have been going through some really intense years with the pandemic and were basically trapped in their parents’ house,” she joked.
So, the ER actress concluded, “Maybe it’s not a bad thing for Birdie to move in with some other kids and have that socialization that may have been a little bit missed during the pandemic.”
The Love, Inc star reflected that she hasn’t always been the epitome of parental perfection, saying, “I tend to be really hard on myself so constantly remind myself that no one is a perfect parent and no one wants that you do that. be a perfect parent.’
Wisely, Busy judged, “I think kids would be very boring if they all had perfect parents.”