“I wish so bad that I could have realized in the moment a way to protect Coco from things that I didn’t because of my own issues,” said the Friends alum, who shares Coco with ex-husband David Arquette.
Courteney Cox is reflecting on her parenting journey.
While appearing on Wednesday’s episode of the Minnie Questions with Minnie Driver podcast, the actress admitted that she regrets not being a “firmer parent” to her daughter, Coco, and wished she’d “stepped in” more when she was growing up.
Getty
Courteney Cox Reveals Longtime Partner Johnny McDaid Broke Up With Her During Couples Therapy
View Story
“I wish so bad that I could have realized in the moment a way to protect Coco from things that I didn’t because of my own issues — whether it was codependency or seeing her in relationships with people that I knew this was not good,” said Cox, who shares Coco, 19, with ex-husband David Arquette.
“I didn’t want to step in, even though I knew something wasn’t right, because she would get so mad at me,” Cox continued. “She wanted me to, you know, ‘Let me deal with it, Mom. You don’t understand.’ I did understand, and I should’ve trusted myself, and I should’ve stepped in.”
The Friends alum added, “I’m not saying I made her who she is, but you do see things in other people, whether it’s just always taking care of people and being the nicest person.”
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
Cox, 59, said as she’s gotten older, she’s “learned to say no” and how to “have boundaries.”
“I mean, earlier on when she was a kid or not even that many years ago, I wish I’d been a firmer parent,” she admitted.
Cox and Arquette, 52, first met in 1996 on the set of Scream, and the two married in 1999. They welcomed Coco in 2004. Cox and Arquette split in 2010, before finalizing their divorce in 2013.
Cox moved on with Snow Patrol member Johnny McDaid, whom she began dating in fall 2013. The pair announced their engagement the following June. However, the couple reportedly ended their engagement in November 2015, before later reconciling in 2016. While they have been together since, they are still no longer engaged.
Arquette, meanwhile, married journalist Christina McLarty in 2011. They share two children.
