Nicole Kidman's daughters seamlessly follow in their mother's footsteps, adhering to her daily rituals with an unwavering commitment. The actress, who shares Sunday Rose, 17, and Faith Margaret, 15, with her ex-husband Keith Urban, has revealed that her daughters must give her a daily two-minute hug.
"Both my daughters will kill me for sharing this," Nicole told Hoda Kotb during the HISTORYTalks live speaker series in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 18, as reported by People. "But I insist they hug me for two minutes every day."
She further explained that hugging releases certain chemicals in the body, and everyone needs to be hugged for about two minutes daily. Nicole, who finds parenting teenagers to be a unique challenge, shared that she and her girls are "so close."
"We talk about everything," she said. "It means sitting on the end of their bed when they say, 'Come in here, sit down.'"
The Big Little Lies star added that her teens primarily need a listening ear and rarely ask for advice.
"I mostly get told not to give any advice," she laughed, "90% of the time."
Nicole, who is also a mother to Bella and Connor from her previous marriage to Tom Cruise, credited her own mother Janelle Ann Kidman for her approach to motherhood. She shared the lessons her late mother had passed down to her.
"My mother told me, 'Don't ever let anyone break your spirit,'" Nicole said. "She came from an era where she wasn't able to pursue the career path she loved."
Janelle, who passed away in 2024, was a strong supporter of her children's dreams and aspirations. She raised her children, supported her husband, and helped him obtain his PhD without pursuing her own educational goals despite being exceptionally intelligent.
Nicole revealed that it was her mother who convinced her to continue her acting career after she considered retiring in 2008.
"I had moved to Nashville," Nicole explained. "I was pregnant with my daughter [Sunday Rose], and I was going to retire. My mother said, 'I wouldn't completely give up.' She said, 'You've been doing this since you were little. It's your makeup.' And thank God she said that."
Nicole's parents also taught her the importance of standing up for others, which she considers the greatest gift she could have asked for.
"Growing up in a family committed to social justice and caring for others has hopefully penetrated my daughters," she said.
