Jada Pinkett Smith Talks About Parenting & Jaden Smith Asking To Be Emancipated at 15

On the latest episode of “Red Table Talk” hosted by Jada Pinkett Smith, her mother Adrienne Banfield Norris, and daughter, Willow Smith, sat down with Jaden Smith to talk about growing up a Smith.

Throwout the episode, the family talks about parenting styles, what worked, didn’t work, and their own challenges from every aspect. At one point, Jada talked about the moment she realized Jaden was independent and needed to leave.

“At 15 years old, Jaden, and I remember this day specifically, it’s probably one of the most heartbreaking moments of my life,” she began. “You got to a point where you told me straight up, you were like, ‘Mom, I have to leave here to live my life.’ She added, “I remember thinking to myself, as devastated as I was, I was like, ‘He’s right.’ The time is now. He’s 15. It’s time for him to leave the house.”

Although Jaden did not legally end up emancipated from his parents, Jada understood why he wanted to be on his own.

“Every child needs something different,” she said to Banfield-Jones. “Being in this lifestyle, in this world is a bubble and he wanted out. I understood that because I didn’t have the bubble. I knew what having my freedom outside the bubble, what I gained from that. I knew the sooner I let him go, the faster he was going to come back.”

You can watch the entire episode below.