Reese Witherspoon's tough love approach to parenting

When it comes to parenting, Reese Witherspoon believes in full transparency.

The 42-year-old mother-of-three recently discussed her "tough love" approach during an interview with Fast Company.

"I feel like I’m constantly counteracting pressure from the parents who want to make the lives of their kids golden and magical at all moments!" she said.

She also mentioned that she prefers to tell her kids the truth, no matter how harsh it might be.

"Guess what, kids? You’re going to be disappointed and uncomfortable once in a while," she said.

"I remember Ava crying in bed in third grade — she was on JV basketball and she was the only kid on the team who didn’t score. I said, 'Aves, maybe you’re bad at basketball.' She thought that was mean. I said, 'Mean or true? 'Cause, guess what? Your mom’s bad at basketball, too.'"

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Witherspoon is also quick to offer up adoring remarks to her children.

In October she wrote a special message about her two sons for “#NationalSonsDay.”

“How could I not shout out these 2 guys who fill my life with laughter, sports equipment, & amazing music?! Guys, you have taught me so much… Because of you, I can name about 17 players in the #NFL and around 6 #FIFAplayers, too!” she wrote on Instagram.

The actress regularly posts adorable snaps of her family on her social media accounts.

“So proud of my kids for working so hard and always bringing their best selves to each challenge,” she wrote alongside a snap of the three in June. “All those early morning wake ups and late night study sessions paid off! Congrats to my super stars! (pre-schooler had no study sessions but he’s really cute)”