Jessica Biel Is Terrified About Her Sons With Justin Timberlake Getting Older
From 2021 to 2023, Jessica Biel served as the executive producer of Freeform's "Cruel Summer." The anthology thriller centers around the lives of teens, with each of its two seasons focusing on a different mystery. While both of Biel's children were young during the production, its focus on teenagers lent itself to thoughts about her sons' upcoming teen years, something that the "7th Heaven" actor admitted to being afraid of.
"I am devastatingly nervous about it," she told ET. "What they have to go through with puberty, it's hard being a kid. I tell my eight-year-old that all the time. I'm like, 'Dude, it's hard being eight. I get it.'" Biel has been married to Justin Timberlake since 2012, with the couple going on to have Silas, born in April 2015, and Phineas, born in January 2021. While Biel opened up about the birth of her second son during COVID, the two Hollywood icons have mostly kept their children's lives private.
Even so, the "Candy" actor hasn't been as tight-lipped when it comes to her personal experiences as a parent. Not only did she express fear about her children eventually growing into their teen years, but she's also been open about how she approaches certain issues and concerns.
Jessica Biel has honest conversations with her kids
Jessica Biel might be worried by the thought of her sons becoming teenagers, but she's revealed that she's been facing puberty-related questions head-on. Specifically, the Hollywood star has expressed a passion for destigmatizing conversations about periods, announcing the upcoming release of "A Kids Book About Periods" in March 2024. The book, which is scheduled for a May 2024 debut, is part of a series of children's publications from Penguin Random House that aims to explore delicate topics in a kid-friendly way.
When asked on Instagram about how she approaches the subject of menstruation with her own children, Biel explained that she tries her best to answer any questions her sons might have. "Well, I don't have all the answers, but my way is I just tell them the truth about what's going on with me, and how I'm feeling," she said. "I try to do it in a way that is giving them truthful, in a real, biological, anatomically correct information. You know? But also something that isn't going to feel too overwhelming for them" (per People).
While puberty may be a daunting topic (and something that Biel has specifically expressed worries about), it's great that the award-winning actor is facing such important subjects head-on.
The actor doesn't want her kids to go into show business
Jessica Biel may not be looking forward to her kids hitting puberty, but this isn't her only parenting worry. As a Hollywood figure, the actor explained that she hopes her children don't decide to follow in their parents' footsteps and pursue a career in entertainment.
"My knee-jerk reaction is, 'Oh, God, no, please, no,'" she told Dax Shepard when during an appearance on the podcast "Armchair Expert." "But then I look at these kids and I'm like, 'Oh, s**t, they're probably gonna be musical.'" The "Next" actor added that she would ultimately be supportive of her children's aspirations in the same way that her own parents were. "I don't want to be that parent to stifle a dream, but man, if my kid would just be like, 'Let's go learn about corn in Iowa,' it'd be great," Biel said.
There's a long time before her kids hit puberty or need to make decisions about their career paths, but we don't blame the Minnesota native for thinking ahead to these important moments. For another glimpse into the actor's life with her children, check out the unusual place where Biel has snack time to get a bit of privacy from her kids.