Chrissy Teigen and John Legend Have No Time for ‘Be a Man’ Talk With Their Son, Miles

It’s never too early to be mindful of gender stereotypes and to teach children that it’s okay to get upset. For Chrissy Teigen, this means letting her son, Miles, feel his feelings.

“Miles is very emotional. He’s a lot like me too,” says Teigen in the latest issue of People. “He wears his heart on his sleeve, and we embrace that. I think more men should embrace their emotions. I think that’s really important in this world. That it’s okay to cry, and it’s okay to be upset about something or to be sad about something. We’re going to talk it through, and it’s okay.”

She and husband John Legend are rejecting the unhealthy narrative that boys are supposed to be stoic in order to be strong. “There is no ‘Be a man” in our house,” she explains. “There’s no right way to be a man, and John is so good about showing them through how he treats me how to be a good man, how to be a good father. It’s wonderful to see.”

While Miles takes his cues from Legend, his big sister, Luna, is apparently following in her mother’s footsteps. “She is a bit of a perfectionist, which I didn’t know I was until the past few years,” says the model and cookbook author. “I’m trying to tell her that not everything—it’s funny because when I talk to her, I’m actually talking to myself too—not everything has to be perfect and there is joy and beauty in imperfections, and don’t be so hard on yourself. And that’s me talking to myself when I tell her that stuff.

“For us,” Chrissy Teigen continued, “kindness is such a big thing. When you meet our kids, they’re very warm and friendly. You instill those things in them, but for the most part let them be creative and wondrous and spirited and curious beings.”