Posted on Jun 10, 2020

John Legend Opened Up About The "Intense Parenting Challenges" He And Chrissy Teigen Have Had During Lockdown

"It's definitely a challenge to co-parent during these times."

BuzzFeed Staff

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Like many others the world over, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen have spent the last few months bunkered down at home with their 2 children due to the coronavirus pandemic.

And it's fair to say that the family have been finding novel ways to spend their time. Back in March they held a wedding ceremony for their 4-year-old daughter's stuffed toys.

Then, a couple of weeks ago they threw a reptile-themed birthday party for 2 year-old Miles.

And most recently, Chrissy went all out in throwing a lavish tea party that she was more excited about than her actual kids.

But while it looks like it's been fun and games at the Stephens' house over the last few months, John has now revealed that the experience of being full-time parents has been incredibly "intense" for him and Chrissy.

In fact, during a concert on Zoom to mark the release of his new album, Bigger Love, John said that he and Chrissy had actually learned less about each other and more about parenting as a result of spending so much time together.

"We have spent long stretches of time together," he said. "We had long stretches where we didn't talk before so I don't think we've learned a lot about each other, but we have learned a lot about parenting."

"It's a more intense parenting experience than we've ever had," John went on. "It's made us stronger and brought us together."

"It's definitely a challenge to co-parent during these times," he added.

However, in an interview shortly after the concert John revealed that despite the "intensity" of parenting, he's been enjoying spending time with "emotionally intelligent" daughter Luna.

"She's not exactly reading yet but I feel like she's on the cusp of reading," he told Metro. "She's very familiar with all her sounds and rhyming and little words that they have. She's doing pretty well with that stuff."

"She's just an emotionally intelligent girl and very empathetic and kind, funny and I love hanging out with her," he added. "She's just an awesome little girl."

John's comments come just a week after Chrissy revealed that she and her husband have the perfect balance when it comes to parenting their kids.

"What John and I have done with having kids is take everything as it comes," Chrissy told New. "Everything is going to fall together. It's not like we set schedules for everything."

"I'm stricter, for sure," she continued. "I'm go-with-the-flow but I also know exactly what they need when it comes to discipline. I'm stricter than John, but we have a good balance. That's what works between us."

You can read more of BuzzFeed News' coronavirus coverage here.

Ellie Woodward is Celebrity and Entertainment Editor for BuzzFeed UK and is based in London.

Contact Ellie Woodward at ellie.woodward@buzzfeed.com.

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