Jessica Alba wants her children to understand that "work is important".
The 37-year-old actress has daughters Honor, 10, and Haven, seven, as well as son Hayes, 10 months, with her husband Cash Warren, and has said that although her children sometimes "complain" when their parents have to go to work, she wants them to realise that their jobs help pay for the life their family lives.
She said: "If my kids complain when Cash and I go to work, I say, ‘Do you like your life? Because it’s not free. Your dad and I work hard so you can have everything you have. That’s why you take care of your stuff. And guess what? If you don’t work hard, your life won’t always be like this. You’ve got to figure out what you want to do. Go to school, do well, treat others well.’
"I’m hardcore about that."
And the ‘Fantastic Four’ star wants to make sure her brood – especially eldest child Honor – see the hard work she puts in to her acting career, as well as her entrepreneurship ventures.
She added: "I can’t be at every school drop-off and pickup, but I’m showing her my time is valuable and that she has value to me. I also want her to see that my work is important and that I’m trying my best to make a difference, and maybe she’ll absorb it."
Jessica recently made her return to acting with a role in ‘Bad Boys’ spin-off ‘LA’s Finest’ after "semi-retiring" 10 years ago, and says she’s pleased by how "different" Hollywood seems to be treating women thanks to movements like #MeToo.
Speaking to Parents magazine, she said: "I’m getting back to acting because it’s my first love and part of my identity. Hollywood is different now from when I semi-retired 10 years ago. There’s a new awareness of how important it is for women to be paid well and represented in front of and behind the camera.
"The #MeToo movement, for all the heartache and trauma it has churned up, enlightened people. For ‘LA’s Finest’, I didn’t even think about what a man would be paid. I said, ‘This is what I’m worth.’ Gab[rielle Union] and I know our value, and we’re lucky to be comfortable enough that we could have walked away if we’d had to."
Jessica Alba: I want my kids to understand hard work
