Busy Philipps admits she’s slowly adjusting to her eldest daughter leaving home for the first time.
The actress and former talk show host is sending Birdie, 15, to boarding school and told PEOPLE: “[I’m] I’m still dealing with it myself as I’m a mother who of course just wants my babies to stay close to me.”
The “Freaks And Geeks” star stayed open about how she’s been through it all, adding, “It’s an ongoing process.” is that I won’t make it every time.”
“Birdie is such a strong person,” she added of the teen, whom she previously described as “femme-presenting non-binary” with a fondness for the pronouns “they/them.”
The doting mother continued to gushed about the daughter, of whom she shares custody with ex-husband Marc Silverstein: “She is such a smart, unique person that I have really confidence that in every situation she finds herself in located, can be successful.”
Mama Bear: The busy Philipps told PEOPLE how she’s preparing to send her 15-year-old daughter Birdie to boarding school; seen in March
The ‘Dawson’s Creek’ star revealed she was still struggling to “process” the big change, but she still had the utmost faith in her daughter
Busy explained that she knew her daughter wouldn’t stay at boarding school if she felt like it wasn’t right for her, adding: “If it turns out that’s not the situation for her, and I say not that it’s going to be like that.’ So be it.’
The “White Chicks” star also shares her youngest daughter, 10-year-old Cricket, with her screenwriter ex-husband.
Although the two are no longer a couple, the Girls5Eva starlet had only kind words to say about Marc’s parenting skills, especially in light of Birdie’s upcoming move.
While she was initially vehemently opposed to her eldest daughter going to boarding school, Marc was more “thoughtful” about Birdie’s wishes.
“He was like, ‘Listen, why aren’t we listening to this kid?’ Why don’t we do it and check out the school, talk to them and see where it takes us?” the blonde TV star shared of her supportive ex.
Ultimately, Busy told the outlet that Birdie should be doing all four years of high school in boarding school, but the Cougar Town star made it a point to note, “I’m open to it even if it’s just one year.” That would be in definitely an amazing experience for them.”
Match: The ‘I Feel Pretty’ star often shares cute mother-daughter snaps with Birdie on her Instagram page; seen in August
Showing support: The Illinois-born actress has been incredibly supportive of Birdie since they came out as gay at the age of ten
Consensual ex-partners: Although the couple split in 2021 after 15 years of marriage, Marc and Busy still maintain a good relationship and work together to co-parent their two daughters
Always together: The successful actress has always supported her daughter on her way to self-identity
Despite her normal concerns as a first-time parent letting go of a child, Busy realized the pandemic has presented a challenge for both birdie and cricket.
“These kids have been through a really intense couple of years with the pandemic and they were basically stuck at home with their parents,” she joked.
Therefore, the ER actress concluded, “Maybe it’s not too bad for Birdie to live with some other kids and experience the socialization that might have been missed a bit during the pandemic.”
The Love, Inc. star opined that she wasn’t always the epitome of parenting perfection, saying, “I tend to be really hard on myself and I keep reminding myself that nobody’s a perfect parent and nobody wants you to do that.’ be a perfect parent.’
Busy wisely concluded, “I think kids would be really boring if they all had perfect parents.”