Nicole Kidman reveals why she's never going to be her daughters' 'best friend'

To her legions of fans across the world, Nicole Kidman is effortlessly chic and iconic, but she’s revealed that when it comes to her parenting style, she takes a more traditional stance, and she’s not aiming to be her children’s "best friend".

Speaking to Australia’s Daily Telegraph newspaper, the Oscar winner revealed the parenting boundary that she always establishes with her children. She said, "You're a mother first. You're a mother, but you're also a guide, a mentor, a safe haven, the place you can always come home to."

The Practical Magic 2 icon added, "Ultimately, as I always say to my kids, ‘No, I'm not here to be your best friend, I'm here to actually be the person who is your rock'".

Nicole has four children. She shares daughters, Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret, with her ex-husband, the singer Keith Urban, who she split from in 2025 after 19 years of marriage. Nicole also shares two children, Bella and Connor, with her ex, Tom Cruise.

Nicole’s daughter, Sunday, is taking after her famous parents by forging her own career in the public eye, already modelling for the likes of Dior and Miu Miu at just 17-years-old. Of Sunday’s burgeoning career, Nicole revealed how her own late mother enabled her to make peace with her decision.

She told Entertainment Tonight, "As a mother, I’m just, like, ‘OK.’ My mother let me do my passion that I wanted when I was 14. Actually, before my mumma passed, she was there and I said, ‘Oh, should I let her? She wants to model.’”

Nicole’s mum replied, "'Well, you did it'... That was sort of my mumma’s parting gift to Sunny… She encouraged me to let her be able to follow her bliss and follow her passion and what she wanted.

"That’s exactly what she said, ‘You, kind of, have to let her because I let you.’” Nicole’s mum, Janelle Ann Kidman, passed away in September 2024.

Sunday Rose has also opened up about life with such a famous mother in the past, revealing the advice she’s learnt from her mother as she starts her own career. Speaking to Elle Australia earlier in the year, Sunday said, "Something that's always been followed in my house is doing, not just saying.

"It basically means that if you say you're going to do something, stick to your word and do it… The biggest piece of industry advice Mum has given to me is to always be on time.

"There's always going to be something with an early call time that you don't want to get up for, but it's really important to be on time because it shows that you're prepared and grateful to be there."

She added, “My mum is someone who has always been so creative and my biggest inspiration in life. She's a key part of everything I do".