Drew Barrymore on teaching her children the importance of protesting: 'Such a catalyst for change'

Drew Barrymore is opening up about how she’s been spending time at home with her kids — Olive, 8, and Frankie, 6 — throughout the past few months. And while some of it has been spent redecorating her home or spending time in her garden, the actress and new talkshow host also shared with Domino that she’s been mindful of having important conversations with her children.

“I did a whole parenting series on Instagram, because I wanted to honor and acknowledge everything that’s happening. This is not the time to promote things or talk about anything but the conversation at hand,” she told The Drew Barrymore Show’s kid correspondent Jonah Larson for the inaugural issue of Domino Kids, referring to conversations about the coronavirus and racism. “I made protest signs with my girls and bought a whole slew of new books to read — like this wonderful book called Raise Your Voice: 12 Protests That Shaped America, about how protesting is so important and such a catalyst for change.”

Barrymore went on to talk about other deep discussions she’s had with her kids since, recalling a bath time conversation a few nights prior with Frankie. “We were hanging out, and she said, ‘Mom, why are we alive?’ And I asked if she meant physiologically, like how do we breathe, or what’s the meaning of life — why are we here, what is our purpose? And that’s what she wanted to know,” Barrymore explained. “I wanted to have an elaborate answer, but there were simply a few words that came: We’re here to take care of one another. I do believe that’s what we’re here for. And that can mean a lot of things to a lot of different people.”

Despite the hardships that people everywhere have faced throughout 2020 thus far, Barrymore acknowledged that it’s a year of change, growth and “rebirth,” and that she’s looking to teach her children “not to let their fears hold them back” while they’re still young. As a reminder of where she was at her youngest’s age, Barrymore even has a special souvenir on display in their home.

“I am absolutely terrible at keeping things. I lose everything. But I do have the red cowboy hat that I wore in E.T. It is in the girls’ room somewhere and reminds me that I was 6 years old wearing that hat,” she shared. “I’m so glad I still have it. When we’re kids, we don’t think something will be important to us one day; we clean out our room and throw stuff away. It’s nice if parents put something of theirs in their kids’ rooms, so it’s a transference of memories and energy.”

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