Victoria Beckham Says Sons 'Bloody Well Will Work'

Courtesy Elle

When Victoria Beckham departed her native England for the sunny shores of California, she was greeted by many with sympathy. You won’t find the 35-year-old Spice Girl feeling downtrodden about the experience, however. “I love America,” she says in the cover story for the October issue of ELLE magazine. “It’s such a positive country.”

“When people say to me, ‘How long did it take for you to adjust? Poor you, it must’ve been really difficult’ — poor me? I’m living in Beverly Hills. I’m very, very lucky. I wake up every morning and I recognize that I’m blessed.”

She’s also working hard to make sure that her three sons with husband David Beckham — Brooklyn Joseph, 10 ½, Romeo James, 7 and Cruz David, 4 ½ — share her grateful outlook. To that end, Victoria says that laziness won’t be tolerated, promising that her children “bloody well will work…Same as myself, same as David.” She adds,

“They’re not going to be the kind of kids that just hang about. I want them to be able to fulfill their passions, but I think it’s important that the children grow up and have respect for themselves.”

The couple’s respect for their family as a whole has led them to limit the boys’ public exposure. Drawing an analogy between herself and David and Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Victoria notes that “they might be in a movie together, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to let someone film them at home.”

“I don’t do ‘at homes’ with my family. I don’t march my kids down red carpets. It’s just not how we choose to do things.”

Even when it is she, herself, soaking up the spotlight Victoria says her thoughts are often elsewhere. “People think I’m a moody bitch,” she concedes. “I do have my insecurities.”

“Maybe that is why I look a little bit serious. The kind of person who’s going to stand on the red carpet and love the attention and have the big grin — I’m just not like that. I want to get in there, do what I’ve got to do, and get home to my kids.”

Source: ELLE, October issue

– Missy

Comments

Generally I’m not a fan of Victoria’s public Diva persona, but she has a great parenting philosophy and seems to bee a wonderful mother to her boys.

- Sanja on September 10th, 2009

This is my all time favorite family!!!! I am waiting to hear a pregnancy announcement from them soon, seeing as they both have expressed their desire for more children and Cruz is already 4.5 years old. They should have a bundle of children, seeing as they are all so gorgeous, well behaved and they seem to absolutely adore their boys!!!!

- Alex509 on September 10th, 2009

Well, you can say about her what you want, but not that she is a bad mother.

- noa on September 10th, 2009

i’m sorry but i have to politely disagree with her analogy. especially considering she has done a reality show chronicling the move to the states…
she tries so hard to seperate herself from where she has come from, but there is a much wider gulf between the beckhams and brangelina than there are between the beckhams and katie price and peter andre for example…
i just don’t buy it… sorry x

- mazzie on September 10th, 2009

mazzie….her one of documentary “coming to america” was a a sarcastic look at what people think her life is. it was all an act….and the children didn’t appear in it once! victoria was saying she never does photoshoots at home with her children…and she doesn’t! brad and angelina was a bad example because they do do “at home with the kids” everytime they adopt or birth a new one they sell pictures to people magazine!!

- julianna on September 10th, 2009

Say what you will about Victoria but I freakin’ love her!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- Jessica on September 10th, 2009

Mazzie were the children involved in the documentary. If they were then I agree with you, but if they were not then I think she made her point.

- Jessica on September 10th, 2009

Mazzie, She did a hour long television special when she moved to the U.S. but her children were not featured in it. If I remember correctly, David wasn’t featured in the special either. It’s not like she had a 20 episode show, it was a one time thing. I thought she was funny and charming during the special and it made me a fan. I also think comparing her to Katie Price and Peter Andre is taking it a bit too far. I don’t think Katie & Peter are all that classy and they are constantly airing their dirty laundry out to the tabloids.

- Ann on September 10th, 2009

I love love this family, and I love her parenting philosophy.
Being a mom of a boy, I totally look up to her.

- Julie on September 10th, 2009

I think it’s incredibly sad that Victoria never smiles, in all her pictures she is so serious and sad looking. How sad for her children to look back at all these pictures of their mother and see that she ALWAYS looks so unhappy and miserable. I think of all the pictures of my mother and she is always smiling. Now that she is gone, I love to see those smiles. Smile in your pics Victoria, you look like you absolutely hate your life.

- Lori on September 10th, 2009

I’m sure they have plenty of personal pictures of her smiling Lori and I’m sure thats what her boys would rather look at.

- Emily on September 10th, 2009

Sanja, well said. I really agree with you.

- Emily on September 10th, 2009

I saw her show too thinking I was just catching an episode of it, not realizing that it was only one episode.

I didn’t see the children anywhere in it.Mind you it was a while ago, but I think it was about her and her entourage looking at houses and tricking the papz and stuff.

- Rach on September 10th, 2009

Lori-
Like someone else said, Im sure that they have family pictures of her smiling. She doesn’t owe the public a smile and if she doesn’t feeel comfortable smiling then why should she.

I love Victoria!

- Micheley on September 10th, 2009

Julianna, Ann, and Emily: I agree with everything you all said!

- Sadie on September 10th, 2009

@Lori you are seeing paparazzi pictures of her not family pictures.I think when her boys get older and want to take a look down memmory lane they will look at their own pictures of her not some tabloid.

- Camen on September 10th, 2009

Ann, I totally agree with you. I watched her hour long show and thought she was very funny. Kids nowhere, no smile, but you could see her cracking one once or twice. It was a a nice surprise for me.
And about the no smiling, we see pics here and there where these celebs, with thier children, are trying to get from point A to point B. They are concerened about the safety of thier children. Have you seen the crowd of paps waiting to get a pic.
I do really like VB, more so after seeing her one hour special, awhile ago. She has a sense of humor.
Red Carpet events are for the multitude of pics taken, where they pose and stop for them. Any other pic in everyday life is just an intrusion on thier personal life. So to critique a parents skills as a parent from a 1 second photo from the paps shoving cameras in thier face going to get gas or groceries is a bit strange to me.

- Nicki on September 10th, 2009

The “Coming To America” was a piss take at Victoria and didn’t feature the boys or Victoria even once. Saying that, in the past, Victoria has done a photoshoot with Brooklyn for her wedding which both her and David said that they regret and Brooklyn and Romeo were briefly shown in another documentary they did when they moved to Spain in 2003 (again it focused more on David and Victoria’s careers) which again, both David and Victoria said they regret. Apart from that, they never have done any photoshoots with the boys and they always make sure the boys stay out of the lime light.

As for Victoria always being miserable, there are MANY pictures of Victoria where she’s with her boys and smiling away. And they are paparazzi pictures, I have seen several “personal” pictures (which were leaked by various ex workers) and she’s always smiling away in them.

Whatever you can say about her, you cant’ deny she’s a good mother and that her boys simply adore her.

- Posh_Fan on September 10th, 2009

regarding the no smiling, if you read her book “Learning to Fly” (which she wrote and is VERY good), a lot of her personal pics she put in there totally have her smiling big nice smiles.

- Julie on September 10th, 2009

http://prettyboring.com/files/images/victoria_beckham%20smiles.jpg

http://fashionista.com/images/VictoriaBeckham.jpg

- Micheley on September 10th, 2009

Even though she doesn’t smile, she doesn’t strike me as unhappy. There are plenty of celebs, many comedians who smile away and then off themselves. I like victoria a lot, but personally I just think she doesn’t smile because shes got this weird upper lip that turns in when she smiles. Makes her look like a school girl!

- Electra on September 10th, 2009

I remember reading that Victoria was self conscious/insecure about her smile, though I see no reason, nevertheless that is one factor. Another is, I believe Victoria envisions herself a model, there by being so slim, and couture garbed as if for a photo shoot. Fashion models rarely smile, and so to Victoria.

I do think she is a good mother, I understand her, in private she is fun, wearing flip flops and pajamas, in public she is an uber model, fashion queen.

- lydia on September 11th, 2009

Lori, smiling is something that should happen naturally. No one should ever force themselves to smile (this is one of the reasons I hate it when people tell me to smile). It should be an involuntary reaction. Just because she isn’t smiling doesn’t mean she’s not happy.

- sdfsd on September 11th, 2009

I love her attitude towards parenting.

- April on September 11th, 2009

I don’t understand the comment by Posh-Fan, about the “coming to america” show not showing Victoria. Did we watch the same thing? If i remember correctly, it was about her looking for a house and at one point i think she even got pulled over while driving.

- melissa on September 11th, 2009

I really like her attitude about raising kids and realizing she is blessed in her life. She has my respect! There are just some celebs who seem like they “get it” and she’s one of them, IMO…

- mmh on September 11th, 2009

Victoria and David used to do LOTS of ‘at homes’ photo spreads for many leading uk magazines. Their wedding was covered over 3 issues!! It was only after a kidnap attempt at Old Trafford football ground in circa ’04 that they decided they would never put their boys in magazines etc. I’m sure they used to get a shed load of money for the photospreads but they realised it wasn’t worth it.

I always thought she’d try to ‘reinvent’ herself when she moved to the states as we’d all got a bit sick of her pouty face but she is in sunny california and still not smiling!!

- emmaH on September 11th, 2009

The more I read about her, the more I respect her and her parenting style. She seems to be so involved in their lives .

- Alexis on September 11th, 2009

emmah – the only “at homes” she did that featured the children – well brooklyn, was a couple of images of him with them at their wedding – they have NEVER sold any other photos of their children to newspapers, and like another poster has said; they have since stated they regret selling their wedding pictures but that they were young and naive to it all back then.

- julianna on September 11th, 2009

I have always thought she was a great mom. Whenever she or David is with her kids, they are holding hands and you just get the sense that they love their kids to pieces. She has also said that she makes them write thank you notes, and that they are well mannered. They will grow up to be well rounded people and I’m glad that she expects them to be hard working. Life isn’t a free ride.

- Hey on September 11th, 2009

I don’t care if she smiles or not I just wish she’d stop pouting all the bloody time.
I do have new-found respect for her though cos she said bloody – one of my all time favourite bloody words that is.

- Elby on September 11th, 2009

I love her so much! I want to show everyone who says she never smiles this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uED8OGFXFX8

Coming To America was a satire, a parody of herself if you will. The assistant she supposedly hired in the show was actually a stand up comedian.

- stephanie on September 11th, 2009

Its funny how her public image makes us(or me atleast) forget that she is quite a normal mum…its interviews like this when I remember I like her

- jessica on September 12th, 2009

Oh I adore Victoria Beckham. I adore her family so much, they are my favourite celebrity family next to the Richie Maddens, because I grew up with David my whole life, when I lived in England. I am an avid Manchester United fan and I watched him in all the important matches in his heyday and also followed his and Victoria Beckham’s lives, and I remember clearly when their son Brooklyn was born, a newspaper had the headlines, ” Beckham Junior is here, a footballer in the making!” and now he clearly is.
Love all the boys, so cute. Hope they have a girl. I also wish Victoria would do more interviews, I love hearing about her and her family.

- babyboopie on September 12th, 2009

This was a lovely interview. She comes across as funny and a cool mom.

-meream

- All Women Stalker on September 12th, 2009

I like her..she has 3 handsome boys and an extremely fine husband, good for her !!

- Alicia on September 13th, 2009

i, too, have just been judging victoria based on her i’m-too-important-for-you look but this article, the youtube video link that stephanie posted, and the smiling photo links that micheley posted, made me realize that it’s all probably just an image, there is a real person underneath all the publicity stunts of course. and i was really impressed with her mommy statements in this article! whether or not she really applies them in her life, i still don’t really care. but she did make a good point!

- cb on September 16th, 2009