How Eva Mendes, Ryan Gosling keep their kids grounded despite 'privilege'

Eva Mendes is determined to keep her daughters grounded despite their privileged upbringing.

The actress, who shares Esmeralda, 10, and Amada, 8, with longtime partner Ryan Gosling, opened up about the lessons of humility she tries to instil in her children.

“I explain to them what I didn’t have, what Ryan didn’t have when he was little, how hard we had to fight, the dark days of being paycheck to paycheck,” Mendes, 50, shared in a new interview with the Sunday Times. 

She further acknowledged, “But they’ll never really know unless they experience that.”

To help her daughters appreciate what they have, Mendes assigns them tasks around the house, hoping it builds self-esteem and responsibility.

However, Mendes admitted she’s still battling her own insecurities. “I see myself passing [my anxiety] on to my children,” she shared, expressing concern over the traits they may subconsciously inherit from her.

When it comes to technology, Mendes takes an extreme stance — no smartphones or social media for her daughters, whom she homeschools. She compared giving them free rein online to letting them walk down a dark street alone at night.

“I know that sounds extreme, but that’s what I feel,” she said.

Reflecting on her own upbringing as a “good kid,” Mendes credits her late brother, Juan Carlos, for keeping her on the right path as a teen.

His protective approach instilled in her a sense of discipline, one she now hopes to pass on to her girls, even in Hollywood’s spotlight.