Even celebrity parents have to navigate the realities of having kids — and trying to retain some independence.In this week’s digital cover,Alicia Keysopens up to PEOPLE about the conversation she had to have withson Genesis, 9, her youngest child with husbandSwizz Beatz, about letting his parents have some alone time.Married since 2010, the “Empire State of Mind” singer notes that she and the rapper-producer “laugh a lot” together and find ways to embrace one another’s silly — and romantic — sides, even if Genesis doesn’t always let them have their private moments.“I’m like, ‘Genesis, you cannot come in the bed every night. You can’t!’ ‘But why?’ He’s cute, though,” Keys says with a laugh, recalling how she “had to break it down.“She adds, “I said, ‘Listen, when Mommy and Daddy are happy, whole family happy. Mommy and Daddy not happy, whole family not happy.'“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Swizz Beatz/InstagramKeys’ story comes as she reveals that Genesis is often taking test samples ofKeys Soulcare— a beauty brand she launched in 2020 with dermatologist Dr. Renée Snyder — from her vanity and into his room.“He’s, like, Mr. Keys Soulcare,” she says of her son. “He’s like, ‘What’s going on? I love this. Do you have any new ones? Do we have new ones that haven’t been put out yet? Let’s bring those to my room.'“The Grammy winner adds that Genesis “wants to take all the ones I’m testing” even though she has to remind him he’s not allowed to. “No, I have to use these. You can’t use them,” she recalls telling him, quipping that he “tussles around on me” to try to get some of the product.Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys with sons.Alicia Keys/instagramKeys then reveals that herentire family— including older son Egypt, 13 — “really, really like it as well.” She says, “They love taking care of their skin.““My older son really loves taking care of his skin, and I’m really happy about that because I feel like especially for young men, we don’t realize young men often feel like they’re not supposed to really pamper themselves or take care of themselves and they’re not really taught a lot about skincare,” the “Girl on Fire” singer says.She notes, “Skincare is a big thing in our house.“Alicia Keys with son Genesis in 2021.Dimitrios KambourisBeyond encouraging her sons to care for themselves, Keys and Beatz have prioritized communication with them. In particular, she says it’s important to her that her boys are emotionally intelligent young men who are able to trust their gut when it comes to making decisions.“I love conversations — we’re big on conversations. We’re big on communication,” she shares. “There’s definitely parameters for things, but we have to give them the ability to let them explore and let them figure out what they like. And I really take their lead in a lot of ways.“She says that she asks them, “‘What do you think? What do you want? What feels right for you?’ Because I think being in touch with your spirit and your intuition is a big key to life. If you don’t know what you think or what you feel, it’s going to be hard for you. I feel like I’ve spent a lot of time not fully understanding or not trusting what I felt, and so I want to teach them to trust their instincts.”
Even celebrity parents have to navigate the realities of having kids — and trying to retain some independence.
In this week’s digital cover,Alicia Keysopens up to PEOPLE about the conversation she had to have withson Genesis, 9, her youngest child with husbandSwizz Beatz, about letting his parents have some alone time.
Married since 2010, the “Empire State of Mind” singer notes that she and the rapper-producer “laugh a lot” together and find ways to embrace one another’s silly — and romantic — sides, even if Genesis doesn’t always let them have their private moments.
“I’m like, ‘Genesis, you cannot come in the bed every night. You can’t!’ ‘But why?’ He’s cute, though,” Keys says with a laugh, recalling how she “had to break it down.”
She adds, “I said, ‘Listen, when Mommy and Daddy are happy, whole family happy. Mommy and Daddy not happy, whole family not happy.'”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Swizz Beatz/Instagram
Keys’ story comes as she reveals that Genesis is often taking test samples ofKeys Soulcare— a beauty brand she launched in 2020 with dermatologist Dr. Renée Snyder — from her vanity and into his room.
“He’s, like, Mr. Keys Soulcare,” she says of her son. “He’s like, ‘What’s going on? I love this. Do you have any new ones? Do we have new ones that haven’t been put out yet? Let’s bring those to my room.'”
The Grammy winner adds that Genesis “wants to take all the ones I’m testing” even though she has to remind him he’s not allowed to. “No, I have to use these. You can’t use them,” she recalls telling him, quipping that he “tussles around on me” to try to get some of the product.
Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys with sons.Alicia Keys/instagram
Keys then reveals that herentire family— including older son Egypt, 13 — “really, really like it as well.” She says, “They love taking care of their skin.”
“My older son really loves taking care of his skin, and I’m really happy about that because I feel like especially for young men, we don’t realize young men often feel like they’re not supposed to really pamper themselves or take care of themselves and they’re not really taught a lot about skincare,” the “Girl on Fire” singer says.
She notes, “Skincare is a big thing in our house.”
Alicia Keys with son Genesis in 2021.Dimitrios Kambouris
Beyond encouraging her sons to care for themselves, Keys and Beatz have prioritized communication with them. In particular, she says it’s important to her that her boys are emotionally intelligent young men who are able to trust their gut when it comes to making decisions.
“I love conversations — we’re big on conversations. We’re big on communication,” she shares. “There’s definitely parameters for things, but we have to give them the ability to let them explore and let them figure out what they like. And I really take their lead in a lot of ways.”
She says that she asks them, “‘What do you think? What do you want? What feels right for you?’ Because I think being in touch with your spirit and your intuition is a big key to life. If you don’t know what you think or what you feel, it’s going to be hard for you. I feel like I’ve spent a lot of time not fully understanding or not trusting what I felt, and so I want to teach them to trust their instincts.”
source: people.com
