In a new interview with Parents, Sister Sister alum, Tia Mowry shared a theory on parenting that has people across the internet raising eyebrows. 

In her interview, Mowry stated that, “I don’t think it is your job to make your kids happy.” 

She went on to say that, “I think that it is your job to keep your kids safe, nurture them, guide them, but they have to learn on their own how to make themselves happy, because we don’t want to create co-dependency.”

Well, of course the court of internet opinion weighed-in on what the mother-of-two said. 

One user commented on Buzzfeed said, “I think you can make your kids happy and foster independence. I’m not sure why these are mutually exclusive in her world.”

Another agreed with Mowry’s opinion, writing, “Let them learn to be responsible for their own happiness so they don’t grow up expecting others to be responsible for making them happy.”

The 47-year-old who shares her two children, Cree, 13, and Cairo, 7, with her ex-husband Cory Hardrict, is not a stranger to having very vocal and strong opinions on navigating the world of parenthood. The actress explained that her own upbringing shaped her views.

“I think growing up, it was definitely a cultural thing where it’s like, ‘My house, my rules’,” she explained. “I didn’t want to do that with my children. I wanted my children to never be afraid to express themselves.”

In terms of her co-parenting journey with her ex-husband, Tia tells the outlet that the important aspect of the co-parenting relationship for her is to ensure that her children see them working together and being “cordial”. 

“The main important thing is making sure that the children still see the parents together and communicating, and still see them [being] cordial,” she shares. “That’s what keeps children beautifully adjusted. It keeps their nervous system calm and at ease when they see their parents are still together, we all come together as a family.”

Photo Credit: Tia Mowry Instagram