"We’re both strict parents without wanting to stifle them too much" - Victoria Beckham reveals her and David’s parenting rules
"Work hard. Be kind. Be nice."
Victoria Beckham has revealed her and David’s strict parenting rules, as well as a sweet note she received from daughter Harper.
The recent Beckham documentary on Netflix has resulted in a renewed interest in the world-famous footballer. And after giving viewers an insight into his family life fans have been wondering where David Beckham lives and wanting to know more about the four children he shares with former Spice Girl Victoria.
And something that plenty of parents have been wondering is how the power couple choose to raise their brood - because parenting is hard enough as it is, without the world's media watching. From tiger parenting to gentle parenting, the styles and techniques are widely debated, but Victoria Beckham has revealed the parenting rules she and David swear by to keep their family happy.
In a new interview with Allure, the fashion designer shared some of the qualities she and her husband try to instil in their children: "Work hard. Be kind. Be nice. Making eye contact is important. Be polite, shake hands, those kinds of things." She added, "We’re both strict parents without wanting to stifle them too much."
But, like any parent, Victoria revealed that both she and David do worry about their children, even now their four boys are adults. "We all say 'I love you' before we fly. From the minute you find out you’re pregnant, you worry." She also shared, "I still check on Harper [her 12-year-old daughter] when she’s in bed."
And it sounds like Victoria and Harper have a special bond, with the former Spice Girl recalling a touching note that her daughter left her. She told Allure, "Harper wrote me a card saying, 'I’m so proud of you, Mommy, and everything that you do. You’re the best mommy. You work so hard, and look at everything you’ve achieved. You’re my best friend.'"
But Harper's not just a mummy's girl - recently she spent time with dad David on a festive trip to New York City. The former footballer shared plenty of sweet pictures from their time together on Instagram, showing that the pair went ice skating and climbed to the top of the Rockefeller Building.
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He captioned the series of photos "Fun few days in NYC", along with several Instagram stories of the pair ice skating. One photo of Harper was captioned, "My beautiful little girl".
Previously, David Beckham shared how both his and Victoria's strict upbringings had influenced their own parenting styles, telling Man About Town, "Me and Victoria were brought up with strong discipline by our parents and to have respect for people and our boys have definitely got that."
He added: "They've been saying their please and thank-yous since they were two or three years old. They're very polite boys."
Brooklyn and Romeo even had part-time jobs as teenagers - despite their parents' huge fortune - with David Beckham previously telling Huff Post, "We try to lead by example, by showing them it's important to work hard."
Meanwhile, Victoria shared that Harper is banned from wearing makeup outside the house.
The Beckhams' love for their kids is clear to see, and Victoria told Allure how proud she is of her four children, saying "My kids are very creative, very supportive, very sporty, all very nice, all good senses of humour. And they’re all very humble kids - they really are."
In other parenting news, Julia Roberts shares her 'simple rules' for parenting teens and George Clooney’s genius parenting hack will help keep your kids in check in the run-up to Christmas.
Ellie is GoodtoKnow’s Family News Editor and covers all the latest trends in the parenting world - from relationship advice and baby names to wellbeing and self-care ideas for busy mums. Ellie is also an NCTJ-qualified journalist and has a distinction in MA Magazine Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and a first-class degree in Journalism from Cardiff University. Previously, Ellie has worked with BBC Good Food, The Big Issue, and the Nottingham Post, as well as freelancing as an arts and entertainment writer alongside her studies. When she’s not got her nose in a book, you’ll probably find Ellie jogging around her local park, indulging in an insta-worthy restaurant, or watching Netflix’s newest true crime documentary.