How Pink Has Taught Her Two Children to Combat Adversity

Pink has been historically open about the topic of parenting, speaking out in interviews and on social media about lessons she's taught her children and lessons she's learned herself from being a mother.

In a recent interview with The Los Angeles Times, the Grammy winner recalled a conversation between her and her 6-year-old son Jameson Moon about gender norms and confidence. "With my son, this was a seminal moment: He's like, 'Mom, everyone calls me a girl,'" she said. "And I'm like, 'That's because you have long hair, buddy, and people are still hung up on these really old-fashioned societal norms.'"

Here's a look back at the advice that Pink has shared with her two children (Jameson and her 12-year-old daughter, Willow Sage) and the world.

How to negotiate

Earlier this year, the singer revealed that her daughter Willow "has a job" on her tour. "We just had to go over minimum wage and it's different state to state," she continued. Pink said this experience has helped Willow learn to negotiate and advocate for herself. "I said it's about $22.50 a show depending how long I go, if I run over. She goes, 'I'll take $20. It's easier to do the math.' I'm like, 'That's not how you negotiate for yourself.' I’m like, 'You’ll take $25 so it's easier math,'" she explained.

How to be confident

Back in 2017, Pink told a story about helping her daughter overcome low self-esteem during her speech accepting the VMAs Video Vanguard Award. "Recently, I was driving my daughter to school and she said to me, out of the blue, 'Mama?' I said, 'Yes, baby?' She said, 'I’m the ugliest girl I know,'" Pink recalled. "I went home and I made a Powerpoint presentation for her. And in that presentation were androgynous rockstars and artists that live their truth, are probably made fun of every day of their life, and carry on, wave their flag and inspire the rest of us."

"And I said to her, 'Do you see me growing my hair?' She said, 'No, mama.' I said, 'Do you see me changing my body?' 'No, mama,'" the artist continued. "'Do you see me changing the way I present myself to the world?' 'No, mama.' 'Do you see me selling out arenas all over the world?' 'Yes, Mama.' 'OK! So, baby girl. We don’t change. We take the gravel and the shell and we make a pearl. And we help other people to change so they can see more kinds of beauty.'"

How to be tough

Pink described herself as "a tough mama" and "a truth-teller" in a 2018 interview with People. "I tell my daughter the truth. I let her be 6, but I want her to know about fairness and kindness, and that you have to fight for your rights," she said. "And that sometimes girls aren't paid as much as boys for the same job, and girls aren't treated the same and that they have to work harder for everything."

How to embrace sensitivity

In that same 2018 interview, Pink said she embraces her sons emotions, and that Jameson is "allowed to be sensitive." She continued, "There's a documentary called The Mask You Live In that’s incredible and how 'be a man' are three of the most detrimental words that can be said to a little boy. I'm all about crying. I think everybody should cry more."

How to brush off hate

Last month, Pink responded to a Twitter troll and used his hateful tweet as a teaching moment for her daughter. "Thank you so much. I just showed my 12 year old daughter your post," Pink wrote. "I explained to her that I’ve never met you, I don't know you, and I have no idea why you would go out of your way to be hateful. It was a good lesson in ignorance. Thank you. I still don't know you. Congrats. You're no one."

How to prepare for the real world

Pink wants her children to be ready for whatever the world throws at them, but also to soak up their youth. "We have open conversations about life, and I'm trying to walk that line," she explained on The Drew Barrymore Show earlier this year. "Like, I want you to have a childhood; I want to preserve some of your innocence, but I also know that you need to be prepared for the world we live in. And not to be a Debbie Downer, but these kids are having active shooter drills in school; like, this is the world we live in. They need to be prepared." The antidote? Pink likes to have the tough talks in fun settings: "We go to Disneyland, we eat ice cream, and we talk about our feelings."

How to combat stress

"I always tell Willow, I'm like, 'You gotta be a dolphin, you gotta let that water glide right down your back,'" Pink said in a recent interview, reflecting on how she's handled her own critics and demons over the years. And when her daughter gets "super stressed out," the singer brings out the dolphin noises. "She's like, 'Oh, my God, my mom's being a dolphin.'"

How to prioritize mental health

Pink doesn't let her daughter use a mobile phone, and won't allow the device until she can "prove" that social media is good for her. "It's hard," she said. "A lot of my friends have their kids on TikTok, and I don’t." Pink explained her reasoning, stating that her children's mental health is more important than their school friends thinking they're "cool."