Freddie Prinze Jr. made sure his two kids ate well by being a “jerk.”
Encouraging kids to eat balanced meals can be a parenting struggle, but… Freddie Prins Jr. has the trick.
“You just have to be a jerk. It’s okay,” Prinze Jr., 47, shared exclusively We weekly on Thursday, November 9, as he continues his partnership with Libby’s vegetables. “My mom had no problem being a jerk, just like most moms in the ’80s. You bring in a piece of that last generation and let it speak for you when you feel like you can’t do it yourself.”
Prinze Jr. shares daughter Charlotte, 14, and son Rocky, 11, with wife Sarah Michelle Gellar. Charlotte and Rocky have since grown accustomed to their father’s insistence on eating vegetables and other healthy foods.
“I mean, [we] I had no choice growing up. If I didn’t eat my dinner, that was my breakfast the next morning,” he joked Us. “So I’m very strict with my kids, especially when it comes to things in the house.”
Prinze Jr.’s efforts have worked because Charlotte and Rocky now “eat everything” that is served to them during the meal. “My children ate sushi when they were very young. They were exposed to everything when they were very young, so it became a lot easier,” he added. “Even if my son doesn’t like something, he’ll say, ‘Dad, it’s not my favorite, but don’t worry, I’m going to finish it.’”
The actor further noted this Us that he is the parent who does “all the cooking” in the Gellar-Prinze household.
“[Sarah does] Sometimes I make some things for the kids, but I do most of the cooking,” Prinze Jr. said Us from his wife, 46. “We cook about three [or] four evenings a week. … If you ask my kids what their favorite is [meal is], then I make Mexican truck food. They deal with those kinds of things very hard.”
Prinze Jr. finishes the Mexican cuisine with green and red chili peppers, which he has shipped frozen from New Mexico every year because Rocky likes the kick.
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“When I make new Mexican food, I have to keep it milder for my daughter, but my son likes it hot,” he noted. “I started crushing that and making green chile casseroles and enchiladas, and I [also] eat it with scrambled eggs. I eat it with everything.”
Prinze Jr. also shares some of his recipes with Libby’s Vegetables as part of his program“Thank you and give” program.
“They came to me and asked me for a few recipes that would be easy side dishes, something super simple, healthy stuff like that – and cost effective with canned veggies, because not everyone can go to the farmer’s market, especially when winter comes ,” Prince Jr. explained. “They had a partnership with Meals on Wheels of America and they said, ‘Every person who shares, likes, comments and uses the hashtag ‘Libby’s Gives Thanks’ on your Instagram page or theirs will donate one coupon, “which is redeemable for one can of food up to 500,000 cans or coupons.”
The campaign, which runs until the end of December, will help Food on wheels “Continue the good work they are doing,” Prinze Jr. said.
“That meant a lot to me and if I could be part of getting 500,000 cans of food then that would be great,” he said. ‘I don’t know how to dance a jig, but I’ll dance one [if we reach their goal]!”
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi