Jodie Sweetin Talks About Elevating Teenage Daughters

Certainly one of my first TV obsessions was Full Home. I wished to dwell in San Francisco and be a part of the Tanner household. I believed Uncle Jesse was the good and cherished 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 lady wished by their aspect.

So after 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 interior ‘80s little one.

“How impolite!” remains to be one in all 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 attempting 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 procuring 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 look at 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 colleges, which Sweetin believes retains her women’ 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 somewhat bit extra hectic, however thank G-d for the college 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 carry extra consciousness across the significance of wellness routines. Sweetin begins her day with not less than a five-minute meditation.

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

As soon as the youngsters are in school, she will get in “me time” by sitting outdoors in her hammock for somewhat sunshine and nature.

“I’ll be like, ‘Oh, take heed to that hen!’ It sounds so foolish, however we dwell in such a busy world, consistently 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 Time Debate

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

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

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

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

The Guidelines of the Highway

Now, there’s 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 educating 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 additionally they assist you keep alert, which is vital when your 16-year-old is driving—you simply have to not be crying!” Sweetin laughs.

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

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

Grateful For Her Villiage

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

“He is my greatest good friend and an enormous assist. 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 procuring, which is large.”

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

“He has the power to see everybody’s piece so it’s extremely useful. He’s essentially the most affected person, calm, even-tempered particular person—which is nice with three ladies working round the home at numerous levels of hormones. It may be loads,” she says of her husband.

Every little thing 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 unattainable not to think about 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 carried out.”

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. Once we ended the present [in 1995], I used to be 13 years previous and I by no means anticipated that sometime my children can be coming again to the set and I would have an image of the three of us sitting on the sofa.”

Whereas Full Home was crammed with tender parenting moments and classes, Sweetin hasn’t utilized any of them in her personal family.  However there is a good motive. She truly had not seen many episodes till 2023 when she began co-hosting a Full Home rewatch podcast referred to 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, dangerous 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 you need to quit ‘regular’ child stuff,” Sweetin explains. “I say, ‘Go get pleasure from childhood, get pleasure from being a child’ and the enterprise will at all times be there.”

Sweetin’s Parenting Recommendation

For now, Sweetin is targeted on guiding her women via the college 12 months and parenting in a method that fits her and her women greatest. 

“My greatest recommendation is to not fear about maintaining with the opposite mothers.  Don’t fret 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 in your children, do your greatest 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 you need to consistently remind your self of that,” she says. “You are simply attempting 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 ideal job’ and a few days you may assume, ‘Nicely, that is most likely the factor that’ll put them in remedy.’”

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