Los hijos del popular actor, Jaden y Willow, ya han dado sus primeros pasos en el mundo del espectáculo, y sus orgullosos padres debaten constantemente sobre cómo ayudarles a definir el rumbo que quieren seguir en el futuro. Sin embargo, tratar con dos adolescentes de fuerte personalidad no siempre es tarea fácil, y el artista reconoce que le cuesta mantener el “control emocional”.

“Willow sacó una canción muy exitosa, ‘Whip My Hair’, y para ello se cortó todo su pelo. Es en ese momento en el que yo tengo que controlarme y decirle: `Ah, tu madre dice que a mí me parece bien’. Creo que lo más complicado de lidiar con hijos adolescentes es el control emocional, pero Jada y yo hemos acordado ser flexibles y comprensivos con ellos. La adolescencia es una etapa compleja y formativa para los niños, donde empiezan a definir lo que quieren ser”, explicó en el diario Daily Mirror.

Con solo 11 años, Willow disfruta ya de una sólida carrera musical y, hace unos meses, fue la artista invitada en los últimos conciertos de Justin Bieber. Sin embargo, su curiosidad innata le lleva a probar suerte en otros ámbitos, y ahora está dispuesta a formarse como bailarina de danza clásica. Este repentino cambio, sin embargo, no tiene demasiado contento a su famoso padre, que trata de convencerla de que se concentre en su música.

“Ha estado de gira con Justin Bieber hace poco y, de repente, ve a una bailarina rusa actuar y me dice: `Me quiero ir a casa y empezar a estudiar ballet’. La tuve que decir que no: `Cariño, te has comprometido a actuar y tienes que completar las fechas que te quedan”, añadió.

Jada Pinkett Smith wants her daughter, Willow, to master several languages, including Mandarin Chinese.

Jada Pinkett Smith wants her daughter to learn Chinese.

The actress’ family - husband Will, daughter Willow, 11, and son Jaden, 13 - spent four months in China and her youngest child started to pick up the local Mandarin language, and she wishes she had kept up lessons when they returned to their home in America.

Speaking of China, she said: “It’s so raw. What you see is what you get. I love that. And my daughter learned Mandarin and when we were at the Nobel peace prize we were on the stage, speaking Mandarin. So, y’know, yeah! Fantastic.

“I wish she had kept it up. She has a brain. She’s very good with languages. She picks them up like this. Her next is Spanish. She’s like her father in that way. Jaden and I on the other hand - we’re the artists.”

Despite their youth, both of the Smith children have embarked on showbiz careers, with Jaden starring in films such as ‘The Karate Kid’ and Willow scoring a worldwide hit with ‘Whip My Hair’ in 2010.

Jada is keen to encourage her children to pursue the careers they want to and she doesn’t want to hold either of them back in anyway.

In an interview with The Guardian newspaper, she added: “I’m not one about trying to slow things down. What I try to do is create an atmosphere for my family where we can pretty much have whatever.

“What I try to do is create an atmosphere where my children can have whatever comes. Because that is what life is about. And I surely am not going to try to control the current. Lord knows I tried that in my own life. For me to think that I could ever do that for someone else. Boy! I’m not gonna set myself up in that way. I can barely control my own doggone current! So I’m there in great support and so that they can have whatever the higher power has to offer them.”