Will Smith: Jaden Wants to Be Emancipated

Son, almost 15, wants his own place, actor says
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted May 14, 2013 9:16 AM CDT
Will Smith: Jaden Wants to Be Emancipated
Will Smith kisses his son Jaden during the premiere event of his new film "After Earth" in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, May 7, 2013.   (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Celebrity children get some pretty ridiculous gifts, but even by those standards, what Jaden Smith wants for his 15th birthday in July seems pretty wild. "He says, 'Dad, I want to be emancipated,'" Will Smith reveals in an interview with the Sun. "I know if we do this, he can be an emancipated minor, because he really wants to have his own place, like ooh. That’s the backlash. On the other side, if kids just want to have command of their lives, I understand."

Smith, who is promoting his new film with Jaden, After Earth, adds that he and wife Jada have an interesting approach to parenting. "We generally don’t believe in punishment" (or in forcing the kids to do things like clean their room). "From the time Jaden was five or six we would sit him down, and all he has to do is be able to explain why what he did was the right thing for his life," Smith says, adding that there's maybe a little bit of guidance involved: "If he can explain why kicking his sister in the chest was the right thing to do, we can see to it that he understands that it wasn’t so smart." (More Will Smith stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X