Jodie Sweetin Talks About Raising Teenage Daughters

Considered one of my first TV obsessions was Full Home. I wished to reside in San Francisco and be a part of the Tanner household. I assumed Uncle Jesse was the good and beloved how Danny Tanner had a dad joke and heartfelt recommendation for each state of affairs. And naturally, D.J., Stephanie, and Michelle Tanner had been the sisters each woman wished by their aspect.

So once I had the chance to talk with Stephanie Tanner herself—actress, activist, writer, podcaster, and mom—Jodie Sweetin, 42, it was actually a full circle second for my inside ‘80s little one.

“How impolite!” continues to be one in every of my go-to comebacks and I’m nonetheless in awe of Stephanie’s killer dance strikes. (In case you missed it, Sweetin simply recreated her viral “Motownphilly” dance from season 5—33 years later!).

However what was actually particular, and even surreal, was the chance to talk with Sweetin—mother to mother. She’s elevating two teenage daughters (Zoie, 16, and Bea, 14) and making an attempt to outlive back-to-school craziness identical to the remainder of us. 

“It is the week of, ‘Mother, I would like 12 issues!’ ‘When?’ ‘Tomorrow?’ ‘Oh, cool!’” she laughed whereas we commiserated over the stress of college provide buying and the post-summer, shock to the system of getting our youngsters again within the swing of issues.

Elevating Teenage Ladies

Fortunately, some back-to-school stress was alleviated for Sweetin as her youngest seamlessly transitioned to highschool.

“Bea truly was so excited for her first day—she wasn’t afraid, not nervous in any respect,” says Sweetin who has discovered it fulfilling to observe her daughters begin to discover themselves. “Zoie is extra of an athlete, a risk-taker, and on the market whereas Bea is extra of a performer.”

Sweetin’s daughters additionally attend totally different excessive faculties, which Sweetin believes retains her ladies’ relationship shut.

“They’ve their very own social lives and pursuits. They’ve discovered their very own groove and have their very own lives. I imply, it does make the mornings a bit bit extra hectic, however thank G-d for the varsity bus,” she says.

How Sweetin Finds Time For Self-Care 

In these hectic moments, Sweetin stays grounded with self-care, even teaming up with OLLY nutritional vitamins to convey extra consciousness across the significance of wellness routines. Sweetin begins her day with at the very least a five-minute meditation.

“I discover it actually helps set me up. Simply 5 minutes earlier than doing the primary rounds of ‘Howdy, are you alive? Get up!’ earlier than coming again for the inevitable second, third, and fourth spherical of getting youngsters away from bed,” Sweetin shares.

As soon as the youngsters are at college, she will get in “me time” by sitting exterior in her hammock for a bit sunshine and nature.

“I’ll be like, ‘Oh, hearken to that hen!’ It sounds so foolish, however we reside in such a busy world, always with screens and youngsters and schedules—if I can unplug only for a couple of minutes a day and be current, it is actually useful,” says Sweetin.

The Nice Display screen Time Debate

In truth, now that faculty is again in session, Sweetin needs her children to be extra current and ease up on display time too.

“As quickly as my daughters stroll within the door, I say, ‘Okay, hand me the telephone.’ Even simply take a half hour to decompress, get a snack, and mellow out for a bit bit earlier than beginning homework,” says Sweetin. “I discover that transition time actually useful. It is one much less argument whereas we’re making an attempt to complete chores, homework, dinner . . .when all the things’s performed, then we speak about once they can have their display time again.”

However Sweetin admits it’s simpler stated than performed to implement.

“It is so annoying. I hate it. As mother and father, we hate it. No person needs to stay to those guidelines,” she says. 

The Guidelines of the Street

Now, there may be one parenting ceremony of passage that Sweetin’s within the thick of, making her work more durable to maintain that zen going. She’s been instructing Zoie to drive!

“Each time we go to the drug retailer or the grocery retailer, it is, ‘Can I drive? Can I drive?’ OLLY’s Goodbye Stress has been nice as a result of they’re mellowing, however in addition they provide help to keep alert, which is vital when your 16-year-old is driving—you simply must not be crying!” Sweetin laughs.

It’s been blended feelings for Sweetin as actuality hits that she has a daughter sufficiently old to start out driving.

“There’s this bizarre factor that occurs whenever you’re immediately sitting within the passenger seat. You are like, ‘They’re driving as a result of they’re that outdated’ and then you definitely notice, ‘Oh my God, they’re that outdated? Meaning I am that outdated!’ It occurs so shortly,” she says.

Grateful For Her Villiage

To get by the trials and tribulations of elevating youngsters, Sweetin is grateful for her help system which incorporates lifelong girlfriends and her husband of two years, Mescal Wasilewski.

“He is my finest pal and an enormous help. He’s so calm and so affected person,” Sweetin says with an enormous smile. “He simply thinks we’re all out of our thoughts and it is nice. He retains us grounded—and cooks and does all of the grocery buying, which is large.”

Wasilewski additionally supplies an outdoor perspective which is useful for shortly smoothing issues over when Sweetin and her ladies don’t see eye to eye.

“He has the flexibility to see everybody’s piece so it’s extremely useful. He’s probably the most affected person, calm, even-tempered individual—which is nice with three girls working round the home at numerous levels of hormones. It may be quite a bit,” she says of her husband.

The whole lot Involves a Full (Home) Circle

It’s surreal listening to Sweetin speak about elevating teenage daughters as a result of, for these of us who grew up watching Full Home, it’s not possible not to consider her as something however a younger Stephanie Tanner. So, I needed to know if her daughters had any clue that their mother was an icon.

“No, as a result of I am not an ‘icon’ at dwelling. I’m simply mother,” she laughs. “I’m yelling at them to get laundry performed.”

That’s to not say having her children be a part of her on the set of the Full Home reboot, Fuller Home, wasn’t extremely particular and significant.

“It was enjoyable having my children come again to the Full Home household with me,” shares Sweetin. “That was a extremely neat second. After we ended the present [in 1995], I used to be 13 years outdated and I by no means anticipated that sometime my children can be coming again to the set and I might have an image of the three of us sitting on the sofa.”

Whereas Full Home was stuffed with tender parenting moments and classes, Sweetin hasn’t utilized any of them in her personal family.  However there is a good cause. She truly had not seen many episodes till 2023 when she began co-hosting a Full Home rewatch podcast known as How Impolite, Tanneritos! with Andrea Barber (aka Kimmie Gibbler).

“It’s so enjoyable to return and watch. It is like a bizarre 37-year-old time capsule. I’ve an enormous quantity of my life documented for the world to see—awkward tooth, unhealthy hair and all,” Sweetin shares.

As for her daughters following in mother’s footsteps? Whereas Bea loves performing and musical theater, Sweetin says there’s no rush.

“It takes a specific amount of focus and skill and it’s important to quit ‘regular’ child stuff,” Sweetin explains. “I say, ‘Go get pleasure from childhood, get pleasure from being a child’ and the enterprise will all the time be there.”

Sweetin’s Parenting Recommendation

For now, Sweetin is concentrated on guiding her ladies by the varsity 12 months and parenting in a method that fits her and her ladies finest. 

“My finest recommendation is to not fear about maintaining with the opposite mothers.  Don’t be concerned if this mother packed a Pinterest lunch for his or her child with Dino-shaped peanut butter and jelly and strawberry blossoms. Simply present up on your children, do your finest and they’ll be okay,” she says.

When Sweetin’s children had been little, she remembers evaluating herself to different mothers and being exhausting on herself—till she had an epiphany.

“It’s not a contest and it’s important to always remind your self of that,” she says. “You are simply making an attempt to maintain your children heading in a ahead course and never making an excessive amount of of a large number of issues—that is parenting. So some days you are going to be like, ’I did such an awesome job’ and a few days you will assume, ‘Nicely, that is most likely the factor that’ll put them in remedy.’”

However Sweetin emphasizes that mothers must take it straightforward on themselves.  “Mother and father do a whole lot of emotional, unpaid labor, and this time of 12 months may be tremendous aggravating. So get your sleep, take your OLLY, and provides your self a break!”