One word that’s completely banned from Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds' household
Topics: Celebrity, Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Parenting
Niamh Spence
Featured Image Credit: Gotham/GC Images/Getty Images/Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images
Topics: Celebrity, Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Parenting
Celebrity parents can often have many rules or odd ways of parenting, and that includes actors Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds.
The couple share daughters James, 9, Inez, 7, and Betty, 4, as well as the fourth child, whom they welcomed in 2023 and recently revealed is named Olin.
While their children live largely out of the spotlight, Blake has previously given an insight into her parenting style at home as she revealed she and husband Ryan have banned a certain word from being said.
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Reynolds previously dropped some controversial parenting advice this month, admitting to the New York Times that he'd let nine-year-old James watch his R-rated movie Deadpool & Wolverine.
He said: "When I saw rated-R movies when I was a kid, they left a huge impression on me because I didn’t feel like people were pulling punches, and it’s been a huge inspiration to so many of the things that I look to make now."
While that might be some slightly left-field parenting advice, many will agree with the word he and Blake Lively have banned from their home.
During in an interview in 2017, Blake revealed the word 'bossy' has been banned from the celebrities' home and will never be used for any of their children.
Speaking to Glamour, Blake said: "We’ve joked that my daughter is bossy. But my husband said, 'I don’t ever want to use that word again. You’ve never heard a man called bossy.'
"There would never be any negative connotation for a man being a boss, so to add a negative connotation on a woman being bossy? It’s belittling. And it doesn’t encourage them to be a boss."
It might not seem like a huge deal, but it turns out that Blake and Ryan could be onto something.
There has previously been huge discussions over the word 'bossy' and what it can mean for children, especially young girls, and whether parents should be using the word at all. The concern is that it can be seen negatively, and as Ryan shared - it's not very often used for boys or men, but usually for girls and in a negative way.
Dr Chiamaka Agbasionwe, paediatric doctor and author of Letter World previously told PopSugar: "As children get older they will come to realise that bossy has a negative connotation."
She added that persistently being called bossy can lead to a negative impact as she explained: "This could deter them from seeking leadership opportunities in the future, expressing their needs in a relationship, or even deciding what they're going to eat."
She added: "The word bossy is often used towards young girls or women who are direct and assertive in what they want or how they want things to be done."
In terms of what to say to children, she recommended referring to a child's behaviour in a positive sense and looking to empower them instead of putting them down.
This can mean praising their strength, their voice or their passion for something, while also redirecting them to be kinder or respectful of others around them.