Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick's 3 Kids: Everything They've Said About Parenting (2024)

Carrie Bradshaw may be the "last single girl" on the hit HBO series Sex and the City, but Sarah Jessica Parker has been married to her husband, Matthew Broderick, since 1997.

"I think marriage has a lot of vitality," Parker told PEOPLE in 2018. "If you're fortunate, it's like this dazzling organism."

Since their wedding, Parker and Broderick have become parents to son James Wilkie, 21, and twin daughters Tabitha Hodge and Marion Loretta Elwell, 13.

During an interview oniHeartRadio's Table for Two with Bruce Bozzi, Parker discussed her parenting philosophy around money.

"You want your children to understand what it means to earn money, what it takes to earn money, the value of it," she said. "I think it's a great way of living for children, that their needs are met — to be fed, safe and loved. The important things in life: books and food and interesting experiences, and they're warm in the winter and cool in summer. But they should pine for things, they should want things."

Here's everything Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick have said about their children.

James Wilkie Broderick, 21

Parker and Broderick's oldest child, James Wilkie, was born on Oct. 28, 2002, at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, weighing in at 6 lbs, 8 oz. The couple named James after Broderick's late father, actor James Broderick.

After his birth, Parker's publicist told PEOPLE, "Mother and baby are doing very well. Everyone is healthy." Broderick's rep also told the Associated Press, "Everybody is totally over the moon and ready to go home."

In a 2008 interview with Parade, Parker opened up about her parenting style and raising James.

"I think that if I had been raised a child of privilege, I wouldn't be the working person I am today," she said. "I have a great appreciation for work. I think it's incumbent on my husband and me to really stress and to show James Wilkie by example what it means to owe your community something and that he is not entitled to the benefits of our hard work."

And at the time, James' wardrobe consisted of hand-me-downs and not much else.

"He only wears hand-me-downs because I've got all these older nephews," Parker revealed. "That's the God's honest truth. Plus, my mother saved all my brothers' clothes. I am not kidding. I don't think I've ever bought him any clothes. Maybe a new winter coat. I do buy him shoes, because everybody's feet are different."

Although it's rare for Parker and Broderick's children to make public appearances, James has joined his parents on the red carpet for special occasions.

In 2010, he made his red carpet debut at the New York premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 — and shared he was a "big fan" of the series. He stepped out again in 2011 for Deathly Hallows: Part 2.

James also attended the premiere of And Just Like That… at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City in 2021. He later gave his take on the reboot when speaking toEntertainment Tonightin June 2023.

"I tried to watch the new one and I liked it but then I felt weird, 'cause I haven’t watched the original," he explained. "I guess it's kind of obvious why maybe I hadn’t watched the original show as a kid."

Now that he's an adult, James still seems to have a close relationship with his parents, and according to Broderick, he's "trying to act a little bit."

Tabitha Hodge and Marion Loretta Elwell Broderick, 13

On June 22, 2009, Parker and Broderick brought home twins Tabitha Hodge and Marion Loretta Elwell. The girls were born via surrogate in Martins Ferry, Ohio. PEOPLE reported that the girls took on family names — Hodge and Elwell — from Parker.

"I'm excited," Parker told Access Hollywood ahead of the girls' birth. "I'm in disbelief. I'm really grateful. I feel really fortunate. My son is so excited, my husband is so excited."

Excitement aside, Parker said she refrained from telling son James too many details about the surrogacy. "I've been pretty candid with him," she said. "I kind of chartered my own course with him because we wanted to keep this quiet and so I wanted to be very careful about telling him so he wasn't burdened with a secret. On the other hand, I wanted him to have time to adjust to the idea of sharing his mama and his papa."

The actress told PEOPLE in 2018 that her twins have "different interests." She said, "They're really devoted to each other, but they'll also say, 'I need time away from her.' Tabitha can play by herself for hours. Loretta always needs to be checking in. They go to different schools. That's Tabitha's idea."

Like their mother, both Tabitha and Marion are fashionistas.

In a 2022 episode of Vogue's Life in Looks, Parker opened up about some of her most memorable fashion moments throughout the years. One look in particular — the nude ball gown adorned with flowers that she donned for Vogue in 2021 — left her daughters mind-blown by the fact that their mom was on the cover of the fashion magazine.

"I showed my daughters … and both my daughters' hands went to their mouths and they were like, 'You're on the cover of Vogue?' I didn't know they were aware of Vogue," Parker said. "So, that was very touching to me."

Parker says her daughters also admire her 1993 film, Hocus Pocus. "They started watching this movie, I'm going to say about three years ago," Parker told PEOPLE in 2022. So when the actress reunited with costars Bette Midler, and Kathy Najimy to film the sequel, Hocus Pocus 2, her twins were delighted.

"They were so excited to meet Bette and Kathy," Parker said. "Loretta kept asking me, 'But wait, are we going to meet them as [their characters] Winnie and Mary? Or are we going to meet them as Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy?' "

The girls traveled to the set in Providence, Rhode Island where Midler and Najimy "were in full costume, but they were themselves, which was confounding in some ways," adds Parker.

When asked if she hammed it up for Loretta and Tabitha admitted, "One always hams. One hams it up as often as one possibly can. Isn't that what life is about?"