Mila Kunis Shocked Husband Ashton Kutcher With What She Told Their Child

Mila Kunis described a parenting fail that had Ashton Kutcher shocked. It definitely seems like something the actress would like to take back

By Doug Norrie | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

mila kunis ashton kutcher

Mila Kunis already had pro-bathing folks up in arms earlier this year with the revelation that she and husband Ashton Kutcher aren’t all that big on giving their kids a soak. Now she might be in the parental crosshairs once again with a recent admission about one of her admitted bigger parenting “fails”. While appearing on an Ellen segment about parenting, Mila Kunis shared an instance of parental guidance that she regrets. Apparently, in an instinctual move regarding how to respond to an aggressive classmate, Kunis suggested her child deal with someone who pushes you by pushing them back. 

Before getting too up in arms about this being a core tenet in Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher’s parenting philosophy, understand that Kunis definitely sees her initial response as a big mistake. And Ashton Kutcher definitely saw it as incorrect at the moment as well. Apparently, Mila Kunis and Kutcher’s child Wyatt had come home from preschool once complaining that another child had pushed her. Kunis’s response was to ask, “Did you push her back?” to which Wyatt said, “No.” Not being satisfied with this as a comeback Kunis apparently doubled-down saying, “I was like ‘Push her back next time.’ You push her back and you say, ‘No thank you,’ and you walk away…” You can see the video below and understand that Mila Kunis most definitely regrets this decision. Check it out:

I suppose to Mila Kunis’s “credit” here she clarified that her daughter should avoid massive bodily harm by not pushing the other child off of a “ladder” or a “swing”. Though my guess is that the average preschooler wouldn’t be able to synthesize these kinds of dangers in real-time. And again, Kunis calls this a parenting “fail” and something she wouldn’t do again. Ashton Kutcher seemed to think it was wrong at the moment as well, saying “No,” in immediate response to this as a way to solve problems in the moment. 

On the one hand, it does take a certain internal dialogue to be able to go back and admit to things one has done wrong as a parent. How we view our children in this world, wanting to be ultimately protective of them above all else, can be a source of struggle for parents. Instinctually, this is likely where the initial response from Mila Kunis comes, not wanting a child to get hurt even if it is at the hands of another kid on the playground. Wanting to stop repeated instances of “bullying” remains something most thoughtful and loving parents would see as a core issue to deal with early. But is going eye-for-an-eye as a response the right one? Of course not. It would appear Kunis understands this, having admitted to the response being a mistake. 

Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher raised some eyebrows earlier in the year when they came out and admitted they weren’t crazy about excessive bathing for their kids. It started a hot bath debate among other parents around what the optimal number of soaks was appropriate for kids. Big deal? Not really, but this isn’t the first time that their parenting has been on display.  There’s a certain vulnerability to putting unpopular thoughts or mistakes on display, but that does seem to be what Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher are willing to do.