Charlize Theron Says Her Kids Are ‘A–holes’ But ‘Really Nice’: ‘Parents Know What I’m Talking About’

Charlize Theron is reflecting on the joys and challenges of being a mom.

The Mad Max actress, 48, opened up about parenting her two children, Jackson, 11, and August, 9, while attending her Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP) 2024 Block Party on Saturday, July 13.

"Oh, my god, they're so embarrassed by me constantly,” she told E! News . “They’re kids, they're girls, you know? I have a preteen and I feel like I have a nine year old who thinks she's a 13-year-old. It’s a lot of girl in our house.I'm just trying to keep my head above water, because they are smart and they are witty and they are firecrackers, but they do not go, ‘Oh my god, Mom, you're so amazing.’ They’re like, ‘Excuse me, I need. I want.’”

Noting that they're "normal kids," Theron jokingly added, "They’re a–holes, but they’re really nice. Other parents know what I’m talking about.”

Charlize Theron Through the Years: From ‘Monster’ to ‘Bombshell’ and Beyond

Theron adopted Jackson in 2012 before adopting August three years later in 2015. Though she generally keeps her kids out of the spotlight, the Academy Award winner has shared glimpses into their family life over the years. Most recently, she shared photos from the girls' spring break trip to Disneyland in March, and in April, she was spotted sitting front row with August at Dior’s pre-fall show.

While appearing on RuPaul's Drag Race "Untucked" aftershow in January, the Monster actress got candid about how she raises her kids and how the contestants of Drag Race inspired her parenting style .

"I want [my kids] to grow up in a world where they know what it means to accept what’s not you, what is different and love that, to not be scared of that, and to embrace it, and that’s my job as a mom,” she explained. “I feel like we’re living in a day and age where our words can so easily be weaponized against us.”

In 2019, the Golden Globe winner told Us Weekly and other reporters at the 26th annual ELLE Women in Hollywood Celebration about the lessons she's teaching Jackson and August.

Charlize Theron’s Dating History: Stuart Townsend, Sean Penn, Alex Dimitrijevic and More

“A big thing for me is kindness," she said. "We kind of live by our religion, which [says], ‘Do unto others the way you want to be done to you.’ We’re big on respect and thinking about others before we think about ourselves.”

While Theron has raised her children on her own, she opened up about how much her mom, Gerda Maritz , has been there for her since she adopted Jackson and August.

“I knew that I would have to have my mom help me if I was going to do this as a single parent,” she told Elle in May 2018. “To not acknowledge her in coparenting my children would be a lie … I would feel pretty alone if I didn’t have a partner in crime in all of this.”