Our Favorite Hollywood Blended Family – The Smiths

The Smith Family

The Smith family, which includes actor Will Smith, his beautiful wife, actress, Jada Pinkett-Smith and their 3 children, Trey (from Will’s prior marriage), Jaiden and Willow, are one of my favorite Hollywood blended families. The entire family, including Will’s ex-wife, Sheree and her husband, former NFL player, Terrell Fletcher appeared on the show.

When Oprah expressed that stepmom and ex-wife apparently get along, Jada responded by saying that she and Sheree made a conscious effort, early on, to get along.

“Sheree and I BOTH had to make that decision because at the end of the day, we had Trey and he had to be our primary focus,” she says. “So we had to put aside our own craziness, our stuff, all the baggage that comes with it. She and I just had to focus on, ‘What does he need?’”

The equally beautiful and marvelous, Sheree Fletcher, also chimed in by saying that while getting to that place took time and lots of “conversation”, it was extremely important.

Sheree Fletcher

“You realize, [Will and I] had our chance, now it’s about those kids,” said Sheree.

Will and Jada also discussed their plan for marriage, specifically called a Marriage Business Plan. This plan outlines their goals for their life and marriage.

“If you don’t have a purpose for your relationship, if you don’t have a place that you’re going, something that you want to accomplish, something that you want to do, you can really get lost in the murk of the journey,” Will says. “There has to be a vision. Like, why are we together?”

Will and Jada also said that they stay out of the spotlight (drama) because they believe the higher power put them together. As such, they focus on the greater purpose of their marriage instead of focusing on the drama. In turn, they have been able to create and sustain wonderful relationships within their blended family and raise 3 incredibly grounded children in Hollywood.

A very big round of applause goes to the Smith’s blended family for creating a solid marriage for their children and putting all the craziness (as Jada describes) aside to create a healthy family for their children. I LOVE IT!!!!

Stepmom, Jada Pinkett-Smith’s Aha Moment: She tried to micromanage the world. By letting go and doing less, actress Jada Pinkett Smith realized she could actually be more.

Source: The Oprah Show and Oprah.com

Jada Pinkett Smith’s Blended Family

I’ve always been awe inspired by Jada Pinkett Smith’s perspective on blended families. Both her and Sheree Zampinio, Will Smith’s ex-wife, are examples that we should all strive to live by as mothers and stepmothers. It’s all about putting your differences aside to create a healthy family for the children.

Jada Pinkett-Smith

Prior to the birth of Will and Jada’s children, Jaden and Willow, Jada became a stepmom to Will and Sheree’s son, Trey. It is an experience that Jada considers to be her toughest. As a kid, Jada had been through such excruciating experiences with her parents’ divorce and having a family split up.

“I wanted to do anything in my power to make sure Trey didn’t go through what I went through,” Jada said. “I had to learn to get out of my own ego and remember it wasn’t about me.”

Jada went on to explain that it wasn’t just about becoming a [steparent] that took some adjustment on her part. It was having to understand that Will was going to have a relationship with Trey’s mom because they share a child. She said she had to support him in doing what was right even though it wasn’t easy.

“Greatness doesn’t come from ease. You want to do great things and you want it to be easy?? These don’t go hand in hand, but the fact that we enjoy holidays together with Trey’s mom and her new husband makes the tough part worth it. Trey knows we all get along, and that creates stability for him.”

Jada has also been quoted saying that she deliberately included Sheree in their family unit in order to keep Trey from feeling torn between them. Additionally, she NEVER  wanted to treat him as a stepchild and doesn’t like using the term; instead, she calls him her bonus son.

“I refused to have Trey feel like a stepchild. He is not from my body, but he is a huge part of my spirit and soul. I wanted him to feel like he was a part of this circle. In order to do that, I had to make his mother a part of this circle, because your mother is your pulse to the world. Your mother is your everything. How can I truly appreciate and love Trey without embracing his mother?” Jada Pinkett-Smith

Side Note: I’d also like to recognize Sheree Zampinio’s [the ex-wife] effort in making her blended family work for Trey. Although I haven’t seen it mentioned in the media, I’m certain that her substantial effort also had much to do with the peaceful co-existence that they all share. Remember, that acheiving this type of harmony is never one-sided. It can’t be done unless EVERYONE is willing to make it work.

Trey definitely benefits from having his stepmother and biological mother communicate effectively. It’s an extra bonus that they are also friendly with each other, too! We can all learn something from the BOTH of them. Will certainly picked two good women.