Why Brenda Song and Macaulay Culkin Choose to Keep Their Children Out of the Spotlight

After Macaulay Culkin and Brenda Song spent their childhoods in front of the camera and facing the public—following the success of the Home Alone movie franchise and starring in multiple Disney Channel projects, respectively—the couple is choosing a different path for their two sons, Dakota and Carson.

Song opened up about her and Culkin's desire to keep their kids out of the public eye in an interview with Bustle, and explained that the decision stemmed from a family appearance when Culkin received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2023. The appearance marked the family's first official outing, but Dakota's reaction to all the cameras that were present ultimately informed Song and Culkin's approach to how they'll handle their kids lives in the public eye.

“That was such a special moment. We couldn’t have them miss that,” Song recalled of the Walk of Fame event. Dakota, however, “was so scared of all the cameras. That’s one of the reasons why we sort of keep them away [from the spotlight]. They did not understand what was happening.”

The actress also revealed that an incident at a soccer practice convinced her that she and Culkin were doing the right thing by keeping their sons away from the public eye. “My son was like, ‘Why is that man taking pictures of you, mama?’” Song recalled. “You could take pictures of me all day. I don’t care. But when it’s your kids, it’s different. They didn’t ask for this life.”

Cameras are only a point of contention when it comes to the paparazzi. Like any loving and doting parent, Song can't resist pointing her own camera to take spur of the moment pictures of her little ones. “I literally have 60,000 photos on my phone and all of them are of my children," she gushed. "I have nothing to post.”

Song also explained that their little family live a pretty quiet and normal life. She described herself and her fiancé as "antisocial," adding that their "kids have more of a social calendar than I will ever have.” They do, however, spend their free time in the most relatable way: at Costco. “Mack was sitting there going, ‘Babe’—he had never been to a Costco before we started dating—‘We’re sitting in a Costco. I’m wearing Crocs. Costco’s not even open yet. You’ve tamed the beast, honey,'" she said, recalling a specific trip to the supermarket.

Read the original article on InStyle