Jaden Smith Emancipated from Parents? Will Smith's Son Wants To Be On His Own
Will Smith's son, Jaden, wants to be emancipated from him.
Will gave an interview to The Sun and said that his 14-year old asked for his legal independence and freedom. Jaden wants to be able to buy his own home and live alone. Will said that was his son made the request as a gift for his upcoming birthday in July.
"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 said.
Will acknowledged the possibility of backlash if he were to grant Jaden's wish. He said that any decision to allow Jaden to make his own choices would have to be weighed against having enough respect for his son as an individual. He understands why kids would want to have a command over their own lives and felt that his son grew as a person while filming this summer's upcoming release, After Earth. Jaden's character has to prove he is just as tough as his father. The real-life father and son star together in the film with the exact same roles. They also played father and son in 2006's The Pursuit of Happyness.
"It's very similar for Jaden and me - your father's the biggest movie star in the world, and you're struggling for your little piece of dignity in this extreme shadow," Will said.
Even if Jaden does not get his wish to be emancipated, Will explained that he and his wife, Jada Smith, try not to impose themselves on their children too much. The couple are also parents to 12-year old daughter Willow and Will has a 19 -year old son, Trey, from a previous relationship.
Will said that he and Jada did not generally believe in punishment.
"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," he said.
He said he entrusts his children to determine for themselves if their actions were right or not, and feels it was more important to have someone explain why their deeds were right. It is a line of reasoning that he has used with Jaden since he was young. Will realized that no one wants to be wrong, but he had to let him son see that he was in the wrong and not necessarily tell him so.
"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 said.
