Counting their blessings! Busy Philipps considers herself and Michelle Williams “really lucky” to have older children to homeschool while quarantining.
“Most of our schools have been able to really step in for the older kids,” the Freaks and Geeks alum, 40, told Us Weekly exclusively on Tuesday, May 12, while promoting Walgreens’ Red Nose Day. “[Williams’ daughter], Matilda, is going to be 15 and [my daughter] Birdie, who is almost 12, we don’t have to sit on top of [them] as [they] do schoolwork.”
The This Will Only Hurt a Little author went on to tell Us, “They’re just kind of on their own. Aside from [Birdie’s] projects that she runs by us, she’s really kind of self-sufficient on her own.”
As for the preteen’s younger sister, Cricket, 6, she is in first grade. “We’re doing math [with her], we’re learning new things, we’re talking about verbs and writing stories,” Philipps explained to Us.
Back when stay-at-home orders first began, Birdie had an “extreme reaction” to quarantining, the Illinois native told Us.
“She came downstairs one Saturday like, ‘I’m going to shave my head,’” Philipps explained. “I’m sure it would just look amazing and punk rock and cool. However, I’m very against people making rash decisions about their hair under duress. If she wants to shave her head when this is all over, go, have that be a statement that you’re making. But you can’t do that because you’re just mad that you’re stuck in the house and you can’t see your friends.”
As a compromise, the Cougar Town alum gave her eldest daughter pink highlights. “I truly just watched a YouTube tutorial and then just thought about what I’ve seen [done] to my head,” she said. “And I did it to her and it looks amazing.”
The former Busy Tonight host went on to tell Us that she misses Williams, 39, who is pregnant with her and Thomas Kail‘s first child together, amid quarantine. Philipps explained, “My friends are such a very important part of my soul and what makes me feel like myself. Being able to spend time with them and hug them and have margaritas and talk to them up close, it’s been really challenging to not have that. That’s been the hardest thing for me. But I’m hopeful that we’re all doing our part.”
Phillips has partnered up with Walgreens to support children in poverty through Red Nose Day. The noses can be earned through online donations through May 30, which will also unlock special social media filters.
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
