Eva Mendes Reacts After Parenting Advice Sparks Social Media Debate

Eva Mendes, who shares two daughters with Ryan Gosling, had an honest conversation with fellow parents after sharing a quote on spanking. Scroll on for her comments.

By Elyse Dupre Apr 20, 2021 2:57 PMTags
Watch: How Ryan Gosling Changed Eva Mendes' Mind on Having Kids

Eva Mendes wants to have an open dialogue about parenting.

The actress, who has two daughters with actor Ryan Gosling, took to Instagram on April 19 to share her thoughts on spanking.

The Hitch alum noted she's often asked to list her favorite red carpet dress—it's the Versace dress she wore to the 2010 Rome International Film Festival, by the way—but that she's not often asked to provide her favorite parenting quote. So, she posted it, which read, "Spanking does for a child's development what hitting a spouse does for a marriage."

While some followers agreed with Mendes' post, others did not. "I don't know," one social media user wrote in the comments section. "I was spanked and now I'm a respectful adult. And believe me, I deserved those whoopings. I was a brat." 

However, the Last Night star just seemed to appreciate the discussion. "Thank you for your comment," she wrote. "So happy to agree to disagree. Want this page to offer that in a loving way."

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Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes: Romance Rewind

She then acknowledged that everyone approaches parenting differently. "We all parent our own way, and I have no idea what I'm doing most the time," Mendes continued. "This didn't come with a manual. So when there's something that resonates with me, I pass it on. Lotsa love."

And when a follower noted they're "glad to be growing up at this time that this is being discussed more openly and challenged," Mendes also expressed how she was "so happy to be able to talk about alternative discipline now," noting, "When I was a kid that was not an option."

Carlos Tischler/Shutterstock

Mendes and Gosling tend to shield their childrenEsmeralda, 6, and Amada, 4—from the limelight. "I have always had a clear boundary when it comes to my man and my kids," Mendes wrote on Instagram last year. "I'll talk about them of course, with limits, but I won't post pictures of our daily life. And since my children are still so little and don't understand what posting their image really means, I don't have their consent. And I won't post their image until they're old enough to give me consent."

But recently, she's been pulling back the curtain on her private world. From posting photos of the makeover she received from her kids to talking about raising children amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Mendes has given a few glimpses into her life as a mom.

Mendes didn't always think she'd start a family. In fact, she told Women's Health in April 2019 that having kids was once "the furthest thing" from her mind. So, what changed? "Ryan Gosling happened," she told the magazine, later adding, "I mean, falling in love with him. Then it made sense for me to have…not kids, but his kids. It was very specific to him."