Mila Kunis Believes Her Jewish Upbringing Caused This Parenting Concern
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00:00Give me an example in your family to something that's culturally Jewish.
00:03Guilt. Guilt. I was raised with a lot of guilt.
00:08Mila Kunis is opening up about parenting, her culture, and her holiday traditions.
00:12The actress joined Israeli activist Noah Tishby on her YouTube channel
00:16to light candles for the second night of Hanukkah.
00:19During the conversation, the mom of two spoke about her Jewish upbringing
00:23and how it's led to one of her constant parenting concerns.
00:26I think I have a fear of not having enough food.
00:29Totally. My fear of someone being hungry.
00:32Like, the worst thing my kids can say to me is,
00:34I'm hungry. I'm hungry. I'm dying.
00:35Food fixes everything. You're tired? Eat some food.
00:38You're cranky? Eat some food.
00:39A health person's going to say this is unhealthy and that we're doing something wrong,
00:42and I understand. I'm working on it.
00:43But it is just something that's embedded in me.
00:46Mila and husband Ashton Kutcher share 10-year-old daughter Wyatt
00:49and 8-year-old son Dimitri.
00:51In the video, Kunis explains while she grew up culturally Jewish,
00:55she didn't identify with the religious aspect until later in life.
00:59I never lit Hanukkah candles until I had kids.
01:02So many people tell me that.
01:04But I grew up doing nothing.
01:05So, you were born and raised in Ukraine, and then you moved here at what age?
01:08Eight.
01:08You always knew you were Jewish? Like, come from a Jewish family?
01:11I always knew I was Jewish, but I was told to never talk about it.
01:13Interesting. Why is that?
01:15I think because I was in a country that didn't allow for religion.
01:19I was raised culturally Jewish.
01:21So, for me, it's a culture, and as I had kids,
01:25and my kids very much identify with the religion aspect of it,
01:28I'm like, okay, I guess we'll do Shabbos, and we'll do the candles,
01:33and there's so much beautiful tradition in it.
01:34It happened when I met my husband.
01:37Oh, who is not Jewish, but is very Jewish.
01:40Exactly.
01:41Interesting.
01:41By choice.
01:42Yeah.
01:42By choice. I was like, why would you choose this?
01:45I fell in love with my religion because he explained it to me.
01:50After revealing her hubby played a role in getting back in touch with her religion,
01:54she called him in front of cameras as they went to light the candles.
01:58Someone call a real Jew.
01:59Hi, babe. Quick question.
02:01When you light the menorah, do you light from right to left or left to right?
02:07It's right to left, babe.
02:09I thought it's right to left, and now—
02:11The internet says it's left to right.
02:12Left to right.
02:13You load them right to left.
02:15Yes.
02:16But you light them—you start with the center candle.
02:19Yes.
02:19Like the anchor candle, and then you light them left to right.
02:23When in doubt about Judaism, call Ashton Kutcher, I guess.
02:26Second candle of Hanukkah. Let's do it.
02:27Baruch atah adonai, elehenu melech haolam asher kiddushan.
02:31Back in October, the actress spoke to Access Hollywood about her children's after-school activities.
02:36I tell my kids all the time, like, it's really good.
02:39You have to learn how to get over these things.
02:40That's why sports is really good.
02:42Yeah, that's right.
02:42Like, losing is really great.
02:43It's learning how to lose.
02:44It's learning how to get back up.
02:45It's really important.
02:46She's a really good mom, by the way.
02:48I watch her in action.
02:49Very sweet.
02:50And what are your kids into these days?
02:53Oh, flag football and horseback riding.
02:56Your kids are riders?
02:57Yes, but what I wanted them to be into, golf!
03:00Or, like, things that require two feet on the ground and not, like, throwing oneself into another person, you know?
03:05I say throw yourself on the ground.