Jada Pinkett Smith

Jada Pinkett Smith

Jada Pinkett Smith believes putting "trust" in her children is the best form of parenting.

The 42-year-old actress doesn't punish Jaden, 17, and Willow, 13, whom she has with husband Will Smith, when they misbehave because she wants them to learn from their own mistakes while they're still young.

Speaking in the October issue of Health magazine, Jada - who is also a step-mother to Will's 21-year-old son Trey - said: "People have always got on us about not punishing the kids, and let me just talk to you about that for a minute. We raised three kids before Willow and Jaden, and especially on my goddaughter, I put so many boundaries on her, 'No, you can't do that, you can't do this.' And everything I tried to control, every freaking thing I was trying to avoid, happened.

"I learned a lot from that experience and realised that while Willow and Jaden are still with me and have a safety net, I want to give them the opportunity to make mistakes and learn how to put boundaries on themselves. So by the time they're out of the house, they fly."

Meanwhile, the stunning star admits she's not worried by the process of ageing and thinks the most important thing is to have beauty from within.

She explained: "I've never looked at myself as, like, a beauty. I'm not sore on the eye, but I know there's always going to be somebody more beautiful--always.

"My grandmother used to say to me, 'It's not about what you look like on the outside. It's what you look like on the inside.'

"So she helped me learn at an early age to be well-rounded, to be spiritual, to be compassionate."