"We keep track of it. I think it is still something to be really, really watched," McCarthy shared.
When it comes to raising her two teenage girls, Melissa McCarthy keeps things genuine. McCarthy, a mother of two with her husband and producing partner, Ben Falcone, is "not the most laid-back," she acknowledged to PEOPLE. Her daughters Vivian, aged 15, and Georgette, who is only 13 and just entered her teens share a special bond with Mum. The actress, who will play Ursula in The Little Mermaid soon, gives her husband, Falcone credit for helping to keep her grounded and centered as a parent. For McCarthy and Falcone, guiding their girls through social media is another joint endeavor.
"We keep track of it. I think it is still something to be really, really watched. I'm sure I don't do half as good a job as I should because I'm so bad with it," she said. "Most importantly, "we're always kind of reminding them, 'Keep this in perspective. This is not real,' I keep saying this is smoke and mirrors and entertainment, which is fine. I've said, 'It's as if somebody takes a character I've played and assumes that's the real me.' But that's an ongoing fistfight that concerns me all the time," added the actress.
On the other hand, McCarthy confessed that their lesson in self-confidence has been learning how to teach their girls about beauty. "They both really like makeup, but it's really used as this tool for expression. It's not to look older or other than. So I really let them experiment with it and with their hair. They both colored their hair, and I was like, 'It's hair. As long as you are not trying to suddenly look 19.' I think it's more, 'This would be fun.' I dyed my hair in high school, and I did think it was fun. I think they have a good perspective," McCarthy said.
Interestingly when McCarthy is in "fun" mode, her girls have a nickname for her that they use. "There's a version of myself that we call 'Midway Mom.' We were coming back from visiting my parents and we went through the Midway Airport in Chicago,” shared the actor. “And for some reason everything they asked for, I was like, 'Sure, get it. Two of them. You want a Coke?' And they were just like, 'What's going on?' 'Can we have Doritos?' 'Yep.' Anything they said. 'Can we get sweatshirts?' 'You sure can.' Like everything. I was like, 'You want a beer cozy?' And they were like, 'Midway Mom's awesome,'" she continues as she revealed the fun she has with her daughters.
"For no reason, I lost my mind this week and met someone's dog who's like a little wiener dog. We have two dogs and they all want a third one," McCarthy added. "And I said, 'Absolutely not. We're not doing this. This is crazy. We already have two dogs.' And suddenly I called the girls and I was like, 'Guess who's getting a wiener dog?' And they're like, 'Midway Mom!'" she said opening up about the relationship she has with her teen daughters who would leave no moment to call her by her nickname.
References:
https://people.com/parents/melissa-mccarthy-gives-advice-teen-girls-social-media-exclusive/?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnuJNNv-IfE&ab_channel=People
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Mike Coppola
