Whether you consider the first warm day of the year or Memorial Day weekend as the beginning of summer, the season is quickly approaching. With that, summer break for students is beginning, leaving parents with even more time with their kids.
And there are no better people who know more about the summer season than parents themselves. So we sat down with some famous moms—Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alyson Hannigan—to talk about how they navigate their lives as parents and their children's well-being when school is out.
Raising awareness about meningitis
From meeting as teenagers to now parenting teenagers themselves, Gellar and Hannigan's friendship has remained strong since their years on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which first aired in 1997 (how is that even possible?!) Gellar has also appeared in box office hits such as Scooby Doo and I Know What You Did Last Summer, where she met her real-life Freddy to her Daphne, Freddie Prinze Jr. Hannigan since continued to make her mark on television with her role on CBS’s How I Met Your Mother.
Since their days on Buffy, Gellar and Hannigan each have had two children who are now entering their teenage years. And let's just say that raising teenagers doesn’t exactly come without its challenges. Just because they’re older and might be able to drive themselves around, doesn’t mean the job is over.
And according to Gellar and Hannigan, a huge aspect of parenting older children is teaching them to be their own health advocates while also making sure you are completely informed as well. Although the kids are older and can speak up for themselves, it’s still important to be involved with their well-being, because let's face it, there are so many things that could slip through the cracks.
Knowing the importance of watching out for their kids, Gellar and Hannigan are now partnering with GSK’s Ask2BSure campaign to raise awareness about Meningococcal disease (commonly known as meningitis) and getting your kids checked for the condition. FYI, meningitis is a condition that causes inflammation of the fluid and membranes around the brain and spinal cord, which is more common in young children and teenagers.
GSK also sponsored the newest Lifetime film, Pretty Hurts, starring Haylie Duff as a mother navigating the seriousness of the condition and the parent/teen relationship of enduring the journey of diagnosis and treatment.
Parenting kids is scary—we get it. After all, there’s a lot to keep track of. Hannigan recognizes the challenge of trying to handle all of the different health aspects of your teenager’s life. “With such busy lives, it’s easy for things to slip through the cracks,” Hannigan says. “You think you’re staying on top of everything, but there’s so much to navigate. When I had the conversation with my kid’s pediatrician [about meningitis], it was so informative.”
Gellar and Hannigan encourage parents to continue to guide their children and listen to professionals. “Ultimately, you want to empower them to be their own advocate, and the way that you do that is to lead by example and to be the advocate for them and to get the information that’s needed to make educated decisions. And at the end of the day, the best way to do that is to ask the questions, ask to be sure,” Gellar says. “That’s what we’re asking parents to do. Just get the information and make sure you’re getting it from your doctor, or someone who understands what’s involved.”
Giving their kids a different childhood than they had
Although their children are getting older and starting to gain independence in various aspects, Gellar and Hannigan are still embracing every step of the way. Hannigan feels like she and husband, Alexis Denisof, are in that stage of parenthood where they’re feeling like Uber drivers for their children. “Those are my memories with them, and even though I hate traffic, I love being with my kids,” she says.
Hannigan and Gellar had an all but typical or relaxed childhood, both starting acting when they were young—with Hannigan making her first debut at age 12 and Gellar at six years old. They hope to give their children the childhood that they didn’t get to experience for themselves. “I feel like my parenting style is to give them what I had wished for or I didn’t have, and I feel like we’re navigating that pretty well,” Hannigan says.
Gellar agrees, and even mentions that she’s a big fan of letting the kids have a lot of independence, especially when it comes to whether or not they watch their parents on the silver screen. “There’s something that feels kind of self-indulgent [about showing my kids my work]. I want to let them pick what they want, and when they want to have that experience,” Gellar mentions.
Balancing motherhood and work when school's not in session
When it comes to balancing parenthood, work, and summertime changes, the two are quick to remind people that things are always changing, and balance is always evolving, too. “It’s ever-changing. Balance is different for each person, and sometimes balance on one day is different than on another day,” Gellar says. “One day you might need sleep, another day you might need family time. One day you might need a good exercise. I think with everything else, you have to evolve that.”
Hannigan’s tip for any parent is to just enjoy it as it comes because it goes by so quickly. This summer, the two mothers hope to just live in the moment and embrace the moments of quiet, where the families aren’t just running from place to place.
While they’re excited for their kids to participate in various activities like summer camp, they try to make sure the kids are embracing the downtime they have outside of school. “I worry that we overschedule these children because we don’t want them to be bored, we want them to have activities, we want them to be off devices,” Gellar remarks.
“But we don’t leave them the time to figure out how to be bored because that’s a really important life skill," Gellar adds. "It’s learning how to be creative in those moments, and as child actors, we used to play pretend, and it worked out okay for us. You need to be able to use your mind in those instances.” And in saying so, Gellar recommends that parents instill these skills in their kids when they are not as busy with school and after-school activities.
Looking forward to summer plans
When asked about what they’re looking forward to this summer, Gellar says that they are looking forward to utilizing that bit of downtime to spend more time with family. “That’s when that spur-of-the-moment trip or experience happens. It lets us live in the moment for a little bit," she adds.
Alongside a family trip, Hannigan is looking forward to helping her daughters embrace their interests and hobbies. She hopes to gift her daughter a sewing machine and learn to sew with her. She also hopes to utilize her older daughter’s photography hobby in scrapbooking with her youngest.
And the pair of actor moms are also looking forward to getting active and outside in the warmer weather. Gellar’s family is embracing the months when they can surf, and Hannigan is taking up pickleball for the first time. We might just have to follow their lead and find a new hobby of our own!
Sign Up for Our Daily Newsletter
Get all the latest in wellness, trends, food, fitness, beauty, and more delivered right to your inbox.
Got it, you've been added to our email list.
