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Parenting has always been tough, but the pandemic has made it even tougher – even Beyoncé has been battling. In a rare interview with British Vogue, the singer opens up about raising her three kids in a world brought to a standstill by the coronavirus and shaken by the Black Lives Matter movement.
“I let my children know they are never too young to contribute to changing the world,” Bey says.
She may be a global superstar but like any other mother, Queen B wants to protect her children’s innocence. Yet it’s impossible not to talk about current events when the virus and protests are dominating American news, she says.
“Blue is very smart, and she is aware that there is a shift, but it’s my job as a parent to do my best to keep her world as positive and safe as can be for an eight-year-old.”
Her best advice to parents? Love your kids harder than ever. “I never underestimate their thoughts and feelings, and I check in with them to understand how this is affecting them,” she says.
Bey and husband Jay-Z
are parents to Blue Ivy and twins Sir and Rumi (3).
In the early days of lockdown, the 39-year-old powerhouse revealed she played dress up with her brood to cope. “My kids and I came up with Fashion Fridays. Every Friday, we would dress up in my clothes or make clothes together and take each other’s pictures. It became a ritual for us and an opportunity to handle this crazy year together.”
Her new Ivy Park collection, the activewear clothing line she started in 2016, was inspired by this early lockdown tradition and features lots of bright, bold colours because they “made me smile in the midst of a tough time for all of us”.
Black is King, her visual album connected to last year’s remake of The Lion King, was also inspired by her children. “I was also deeply inspired by my trip to South Africa with my family,” she says. “And after having my son I felt it was important to uplift and praise our boys and to assure they grow up with enough films, children’s books and music that promote emotional intelligence, self-value and our rich history.”
When she tells her eldest, who featured in the music video for Brown Skin Girl, how proud she is of her, Blue tells Bey she’s proud of her too and she’s doing a good job. “She melts my heart,” the singer says. “I believe the best way to teach them is to be the example.”
If there’s one thing
this year has taught her, it’s the value of family. “I’ve learnt my voice is
clearer when I am still. I truly cherish this time with my family, and my new
goal is to slow down,” Bey says.
“I’ve spent a lot of time focusing on building my legacy and representing my culture the best way I know how. Now, I’ve decided to give myself permission to focus on my joy.”
SOURCES: VOGUE.CO.UK, NICKISWIFT.COM, EONLINE.COM
