Busy Philipps admits that she is learning to adjust slowly to having her eldest daughter leave home for the first time.
The actress and former chat show host is sending Birdie, 15, off to boarding school and told PEOPLE: ‘[I’m] still in the process of dealing with it myself as a mom who, of course, just wants my babies to stay close to me.’
Staying candid about how she worked through it all, the Freaks And Geeks star added: ‘It’s a constant process. Parenting is constantly learning, and I think one thing that I try to return to is that I’m not going to nail it every time.’
‘Birdie’s such a strong individual,’ she added of the teen who she has previously stated presents as ‘femme-presenting non-binary’ with a preference for they/them pronouns.
The doting mom continued gushing about the daughter she shares custody with with ex-husband Marc Silverstein: ‘She’s such a smart, unique person that I feel really confident in her ability to succeed in whatever situation she’s in.’
Momma bear: Busy Philipps opened up to PEOPLE about how she’s preparing to send her daughter Birdie, 15, to boarding school; seen in March
The Dawson’s Creek star revealed she was still having trouble ‘processing’ the major change, but she had the utmost confidence in her daughter regardless
Explaining that she knew her daughter wouldn’t stay at boarding school if she felt like it wasn’t a good fit, Busy added, ‘If it turns out this is not the situation for her, and I’m not saying that will be the case, so be it.’
The White Chicks star also shares her youngest daughter, 10-year-old Cricket, with her screenwriter ex-husband.
In spite of the fact that the two are no longer a couple, the Girls5Eva starlet had nothing but kind words to say about Marc’s parenting skills, particularly with Birdie’s impending move.
While she was initially gung-ho against the idea of her eldest daughter going to boarding school, Marc had a more ‘thoughtful’ response to Birdie’s wishes.
‘He was like, ‘Listen, why don’t we hear this kid out? Why don’t we see it through and go look at the school, talk to them and see where it takes us?” the blonde television star recounted of her supportive ex.
Ultimately, Busy told the outlet that the plan is to have Birdie spend all four years of high school at boarding school, but the Cougar Town star made sure to note, ‘I’m also open to this if it’s just a year. That would be an amazing experience for her to have either way.’
Spitting image: The I Feel Pretty star frequently shares cute mother/daughter snaps with Birdie on her Instagram page; seen in August
Showing support: The Illinois-born actress has been incredibly supportive of Birdie since they came out as gay when they were ten years old
Amicable exes: Although the couple split in 2021 after 15 years of marriage, Marc and Busy still remain on good terms and work together to co-parent their two daughters
Always together: The accomplished actress has always been supportive of her daughter’s journey of self-identity
In spite of her normal misgivings as a parent letting go of a child for the first time, Busy realized that the pandemic had been challenging on both Birdie and Cricket.
‘These kids have been through a really intense few years with the pandemic and essentially being stuck in the house with their parents,’ she joked.
So, the ER actress concluded, ‘Maybe it’s not a bad thing for Birdie to go live with some other kids and have that socialization that maybe was missed out on a bit during the pandemic.’
Reflecting that she hasn’t always been the epitome of parental perfection, the Love, Inc star said, ‘I have a tendency to be really hard on myself, so continually reminding myself, that no one’s a perfect parent and no one wants you to be a perfect parent.’
Wisely, Busy assessed that, ‘I think kids would be really boring if they all had perfect parents.’
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