Katherine Schwarzenegger has admitted that before she married Chris Pratt, she hired a coach to help her prepare to become his son’s stepmother.
Schwarzenegger, 35, married the Guardians of the Galaxy star in 2019. The couple have since had three children together. Pratt had previously had a son, Jack, with his ex-wife, Scary Movie star Anna Faris.
Speaking on a recent appearance on the Parenting & You with Dr Shelfi podcast, Schwarzenegger shared what life is like living in a blended household, admitting that she enlisted the help of professionals to help navigate her new role.
“Number one thing I say is get a stepparenting therapist or stepparenting coach, because I got that right when we got engaged, and it's been incredibly helpful for me and also in just understanding my role as a stepparent,” explained the Gift of Forgiveness author.
“Because stepparenting, like parenting, has no handbook. Because I have the benefit of being in both roles, stepparenting is extra confusing because you aren't a parent, you're not a nanny, you're not an assistant. You have responsibilities in all of those areas, but you're not either of them. It's a confusing thing to navigate where you fit in,” she added.
Although Jack, who is 12, has different relationships with all his parents, Schwarzenegger was thankful that she, Pratt, Faris and Michael Barrett (Faris’s husband) “co-parent all very well, which is a huge blessing”.
Pratt, 46, also appeared on the podcast and credited the “really important job” a stepparent can do. He said: “If a parent is in there doing the hard work of creating structure for a child and holding children accountable – and it's not a biological child – it can feel thankless.”
The Jurassic World actor was married to Faris from 2009 to 2018, with the pair announcing in a joint statement, released in August 2017, that they had split.
Faris has been candid about her relationship breakdown in the past, and once suggested that she went through with the marriage because “everyone [was] expecting it”. She added that she “ignored” the warning signs ahead of their wedding.
In 2022, Faris, who is has been married to cinematographer Michael Barratt since 2021, revealed that she is “getting closer” to Pratt and is “happy” with the way things have turned out.
“We’re all getting much closer, and I so appreciate that,” Faris told People . “They’re very protective of me, and I want to be very protective of them. I so appreciate their support.”
She continued: “It feels just much easier now that time has passed. It feels really good to not live with that internal churning of unpleasantness.”
Faris called Schwarzenegger, who is the daughter of The Terminator star Arnold, “awesome”, adding: “She’s just on top of it. I love how she is with Jack.”
