On-screen royal Anne Hathaway has made a number of lifestyle changes since giving birth to her first child in 2016 and recently revealed a major parenting tip that, according to People, she borrowed from some real-life royals.
Speaking to the Sunday Times in an interview published on February 10, the 36-year-old revealed a “cool” technique she picked up on from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge that she’s implemented with her two-year-old son Jonathan Rosebanks, whom she shares with husband Adam Shulman.
“They get down on the child’s level and speak to them eye to eye to make their child feel empowered,” the actress explained. “I thought that was really cool. I started doing that with Jonathan.”
The method is referred to as “active listening,” and, according to child development expert Gill Connell, is an important way to tell children “You’re important to me.”
“Hang on his every word. React with positive verbal and nonverbal cues such as nodding, smiling and hugging. And show broad emotions as he speaks so he knows what it feels like to be understood,” Connell explained in her book, A Moving Child Is A Learning Child.
“These simple messages foster self-esteem in powerful ways while encouraging him to communicate even more.”
How Kate Middleton and Prince William's Parenting Style Influenced Anne Hathaway https://t.co/M0ZxT0dPA4
— People (@people) February 11, 2019
Both Kate and Prince William have been photographed demonstrating the technique a number of times with their children, Prince George, 5, and Princess Charlotte, 3, and will likely continue to implement the style with their 9-month-old, Prince Louis, when he is older.
Even former president Barack Obama got down to Prince George’s level during his visit to Kensington Palace in April 2016, with Prince William hunched down beside him.
The style also appears to have been adopted by soon-to-be parents Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The couple, who are expecting their first child within the next few months, were photographed demonstrating the active listening method with many children that they met during their royal tour of Australia and New Zealand in October.
Anne Hathaway has kept her son relatively out of the public eye, only sharing the first photo of him in May of 2017, more than a year after he was born, Vanity Fair reported. However, she has been sharing a lot about her parenting experience over the last few months.
She recently opened up about another major change she has made since becoming a parent. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the Serenity star revealed that she won’t be sipping on any more alcohol for the next 18 years until her son is out of the house, a decision made after a night of drinking left her seriously hurting the next day with a bad hangover.
“I did one school run one day where I dropped him off at school – I wasn’t driving, but I was hungover,” she explained during a recent appearance on The Ellen Show.“That was enough for me. I didn’t love that [experience].”