Actress Jane Fonda admitted that one of the biggest regrets she’s had in her life is not being “the kind of mother” she wished she’d been to her three kids, and said she just honestly “didn’t know how to do it.”
During the 85-year-old actress’ recent appearance with Chris Wallace on CNN, Fonda said she’s not afraid of dying, but does have a few regrets, one of which is the kind of parent she was to daughters Vanessa Vadim, Mary Williams, and son Troy Garity.
“I’m not scared of dying,” the “Book Club” star explained. “It’s an adventure. You know, I don’t want to go. I still have a lot to do. But … what I’m really scared of is getting to the end of life with a lot of regrets when there’s no time to do anything about it.”
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“I have very few regrets,” Fonda told the host. “I was not the kind of mother that I wish that I had been to my children. But I have great, great children, talented, smart. And I just didn’t know how to do it.”
The “80 For Brady” star said that over the years, she’s made it a point to try and “show up” for her children after learning later in life what parenting is “supposed” to be, “Good Morning America” noted.
“You know, I have an organization in Georgia [Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention] that deals with adolescents,” Fonda shared. “And I’ve studied parenting. I know what it’s supposed to be now. I didn’t know then. So I’m trying to show up now.”
Fonda’s comments were similar to ones she made in 2017 when speaking with actress Brie Larson, as she explained “it’s never too late” to make up for not being a better parent.
“I am trying to make up for what I didn’t know before,” Fonda shared at the time. “When I die, I want my family to be around me. I want them to love me and I have to earn that. I’m still working at it.”
Fonda was previously married to late French filmmaker Roger Vadim, with whom she shared Vanessa Vadim. In 1973, she and ex-husband Tom Hayden, a late anti-war activist, welcomed son Troy Garity. In the 1980s, Fonda adopted her third child, Mary Williams.