La La Anthony talks about struggles raising a preteen son: 'I got to keep my eyes open'

The "Power" star's son turned 12 years old in March 2019.

October 10, 2019, 2:40 PM

"Power" star La La Anthony opened up to the co-hosts of "The View" on Thursday about adapting in motherhood as her son Kiyan enters into his teenage years.

Kiyan is 12-years old and beginning to show behaviors normal with teenagers, Anthony said.

"He doesn't want me to take any pictures of him and he doesn't want to be in any pictures with me," Anthony said. "That's for sure."

"He never gives me approval," Anthony said about photos with Kiyan. "Even yesterday when I took pictures, he goes, 'Don't post that. Whatever you do, just don't post that.'"

PHOTO: Kiyan Anthony and La La Anthony attend the 2019 BET Awards at Microsoft Theater, June 23, 2019, in Los Angeles.
Kiyan Anthony and La La Anthony attend the 2019 BET Awards at Microsoft Theater, June 23, 2019, in Los Angeles.
Paras Griffin/Getty Images, FILE

Kiyan's need for privacy doesn't stop there. Anthony said he doesn't want her to be around his friends, either.

"He says I can't come inside the school to pick him up anymore," she said. "I was like, 'But your mom is cool!' He was, like, 'No, mom. Can you just wait outside? Cool or not, I want you outside.'"

Anthony also spoke about how her concerns over how other parents raise their kids prompted her to get her driver to "spy" on a co-ed gathering that Kiyan attended.

"[Kiyan] had his first little group date where it was boys and girls going to some arcade, and yeah. I sent a spy to just see what was going on," Anthony explained. "I just want[ed] to make sure everything was okay."

"[The driver] called me, like, 'Okay. They're drinking sodas. They're doing good. They're just hanging out.' I'm like, 'Okay, just gotta make sure.'"

Anthony said Kiyan is a "good boy" but it's not him that she worries about. "It's the other kids, the other parents, that I worry about. So I got to keep my eyes open."

PHOTO: La La Anthony dishes about the final season of her show "Power" during her appearance on "The View," Oct. 10, 2019.
La La Anthony dishes about the final season of her show "Power" during her appearance on "The View" Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019.
ABC News

While some of the co-hosts didn't approve of the snooping, Sunny Hostin, whose daughter Paloma is 13, thought it was a great idea.

"That's not a bad move. I haven't done that one yet," Hostin said. "Paloma's about to get a spy."

Anthony, a New York City native, and her husband Carmelo Anthony, who last played for the Houston Rockets basketball team, welcomed Kiyan into the world in March 2007. La La Anthony shared a photo on Instagram for Kiyan's 12th birthday with a heartfelt message.

"Happy 12th birthday to my entire heart. Kiyan is almost a teenager," La La Anthony wrote. "Where has the time gone? I never knew a love like this existed until you came into my life. I thank God for you every single day. My best friend, my son, and forever mommy’s baby."

Every episode of ABC's award-winning talk show "The View" is now available as a podcast! Listen and subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Spotify, Stitcher or the ABC News app.