Jaden Smith, 14, Wants to be Emancipated, Dad Will Smith Says
Jaden Smith, 14, wants to be emancipated from his parents, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith. Will opened up about his son's desire in a new interview and said he understood that his son wants his freedom.
"He says, 'Dad, I want to be emancipated.' I know if we do this, he can be an emancipated minor, because he really wants to have his own place, like 'Ooh,'" Will told The Sun. "That's the backlash. On the other side, if kids just want to have command of their lives, I understand."
Will, the father to Jaden, Willow, 12, and Trey, 19, explained his parenting philosophy, which is relatively laid back and focuses on teaching his children instead of punishing them.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"We generally don't believe in punishment," Will said. "From the time Jaden was five or six, we would sit him down, and all he has to do is be able to explain why what he did was the right thing for his life. I think it's a much more difficult question to ask someone – 'Why was that right?' – than to show them why it was wrong."
"Nobody wants to be wrong, all parts of yourself fight like crazy to not be wrong. So I'll say to Jaden, 'Why was that the right thing to do for your life?' and if he can explain why kicking his sister in the chest was the right thing to do, we can see to it that he understands that it wasn't so smart," Will added.
Jaden would not be the first celebrity to ask for emancipation. Michelle Williams chose to be emancipated when she was 14 so that she could work in Hollywood; only one year later she was cast on "Dawson's Creek" and her career took off.
Alicia Silverstone is another who chose to go the emancipation route in order to work more.
