Drew Barrymore Vulnerably Opens Up About ‘Rebellious’ Childhood And Spending 2 Years In ‘An Institution’

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Drew Barrymore

Drew Barrymore has very bravely given fans an insight into her childhood where she felt she would always challenge authority and not accept ‘no’ as an answer. The reflection comes in light of the star publicly saying that she’s being stricter about letting her two daughters have phones, and how she believes that having certain rules in place as a parent is good for your children. Drew also openly shared how she ended up in an institution for two years as a result of her behavior.

What Did Drew Say?

Drew penned a lengthy statement reflecting on her own childhood after deciding to take her daughter’s phones away. The popular TV host began: “I am writing (In a very vulnerable way) to put myself out there as a parent. And well, it’s personal for me.

“I wished many times when I was a kid that someone would tell me no. I wanted so badly to rebel all the time, and it was because I had no guardrails. I had too much access and excess, and eventually, ‘no’ actually became a challenge.

“I would not accept it because I had so much autonomy at a young age that I simply couldn’t accept authority of any kind, and I ended up in a institution for two years. It was a blessing. A hard-core style of a reset. It made me appreciate everything. And since there isn’t a time machine to go back and redo anything, I will keep loving my journey.”

Speaking About Her Daughters

Drew’s statement then went on to describe how Drew fears she is letting her daughters go down the same path of access and excess that she did, and how she has made the decision to do all she can to prevent that from happening.

Her statement continued: “I now have two daughters, aged 10 and 12. And I wonder if my life’s experience was a butterfly net to capture the understanding of what young girls need. Is it my karma? I know now that I have never wanted to be more protective of kids in general.

“When I was growing up, my experience of being so out there in the world and going to adult environments and working was unorthodox. I lived and grew up in a world that was very good to me. I will never poo-poo my life, because I appreciate all the doors and windows that have been opened for me or afforded me to create my own passages to walk through and work through.

“But I never thought in my wildest dreams that kids would be in my boat of too much excess and access. […] Kids are not supposed to be exposed to this much. Kids are supposed to be protected. Kids are supposed to hear NO. But we are living in an a la carte system as caretakers, in a modern, fast-moving world where tiny little computers are in every adult’s hands, modeling that it is OK to be attached to a device that is a portal to literally everything. How did we get here?”

“[…] And I came to the conclusion simply that I am not ready either to allow my kids to have a phone.”

Drew’s fans have been incredibly supportive of her decision, and even felt emotional after reading her relatable statement. One user said: “I am in tears. The biggest difference between you and millions of others is you were in the spotlight and we were not. Please know you are not alone at all.”

A second shared: “Withholding a smart phone from kids until a certain age shields them from so much unnecessary drama and unwarranted drama, chatter, potential bullying or shaming of others and being in on all that or being a recipient. It’s life ending and world crushing stuff to deal with as a kid.”

A third added: “Beautifully written too,” followed by a red heart emoji.