15 Strict Rules David & Victoria Beckham Make Their Four Kids Follow To Become Polite, Hard-Working Adults
They've raised some good kids!
Cubankite via Shutterstock / Instagram David and Victoria Beckham are one of the most famous and lasting celebrity couples. Known for their individual successes in sports, music and fashion, the couple has typically kept their family life out of the public eye. But now, as their children launch careers of their own, we’re starting to learn even more about the Beckham children.
With more and more media attention on Brooklyn Beckham’s high-profile wedding to Nicola Peltz, Romeo Beckham’s flourishing soccer and modeling stardom, Cruz Beckham’s budding musical career and Harper Beckham’s occasional appearance on her famous family’s social media platforms, there’s one thing all the kids have in common.
Each one of the Beckhams seems to be a well-raised, respectful and hard-working young person.
So, how did David and Victoria do it?
Here are 15 strict rules the Beckham kids follow.
1. The Beckham kids must be courteous.
David has admitted to being quite a strict disciplinarian with his kids, particularly his three boys.
“Me and Victoria were brought up with strong discipline by our parents and to have respect for people and our boys have definitely got that,” he said in a 2013 interview. “They've been saying their please and thank-yous since they were two or three years old. They're very polite boys,” he added.
2. They have to follow ‘strict’ dating rules.
With three boys who are close in age, Victoria and David have had their work cut out for them when it comes to monitoring their love lives. In 2016, David opened up about what dating rules the couple had imposed in their household as the kids reached a certain age.
“Brooklyn’s definitely at that age,” he explained about his oldest son who was 16 at the time. “We’re strong parents and strict parents,” he added, suggesting they would not bend to their son’s wants.
However, when it comes to his youngest and only daughter, Harper, David once joked that she'll "be like Rapunzel — up in the tower" when it comes time for her to date.
3. Brooklyn and Romeo Beckham had part-time jobs as teenagers.
Despite their parent’s enormous net worths, the Beckham kids know the value of a dollar. In 2014, it was widely reported that a 15-year-old Brooklyn had taken up a weekend job and a London coffee shop to earn some extra cash.
“David and Victoria want them to know what hard work is like," a source said at the time.
That same year, the future photographer also interned at Guy Ritchie’s London film office, SKA Films where he was seen shadowing people in the office with a notebook in hand.
In 2017, Romeo was reported to be working at the same cafe that his brother had previously worked in, making less than $4 an hour. By this time, Romeo had already appeared in a Burberry advertisement but it seems his parents wanted him to do some honest work!
4. David and Victoria Beckham monitor their children’s social media.
When Brooklyn Beckham joined Instagram in 2015, his fame quickly skyrocketed. But David and Victoria weren’t going to let him get too carried away.
"Because our 16-year-old son, Brooklyn, he's got like four million Instagram followers. We control everything that he posts, everything that he does, and it's the same with our other kids," he shared in an interview.
5. The Beckham kids had to stay humble.
It seems like not letting fame get to their kids’ heads is a big priority for the Beckhams. In fact, they even tried to keep their fame a mystery to their children to keep them humble. In a 2017 interview, Brooklyn revealed that he had no idea how famous his parents were until he was a teen.
“I didn’t actually know that they (his parents) were big until I was about 13,” he says. “I went to a football game and people were shouting my dad’s name and I was like, ‘What?! Oh my God.’ I don’t look at them like that.”
6. They must make education a priority.
Education is important to the Beckhams and it was reportedly a huge priority when it came to moving the family from LA to London back in 2012.
“For David and Victoria, the children come first,” a source said at the time. “They have spent months researching schools and after visiting a few earlier this month, have found one they agree on.”
Over the years, the Beckham children have attended some of the world's most exclusive private schools. Romeo and Cruz are known to have attended Wetherby, the same private school Prince William and Prince Charles attended.
Harper, on the other hand, attends Glendower Prep in South Kensington, a school that reportedly costs over $23,000 a year.
7. The Beckham children must be well-behaved at school.
Given that David and Victoria have sent their children to such expensive private schools, it makes sense that they want to get their money’s worth. Hence, the famous couple insists that their kids are on their best behavior in school and that their good manners continue outside the home.
“That's one of the first questions that we ask when we go for meetings at school is about their manners: and it's one of the first things their teachers say – that they've got impeccable manners,” David said back in 2013.
8. The Beckham kids can't miss school — not even on snow days.
Getting value for money spent on private education also means making sure your kids never miss a school day. In 2018, Victoria shared a snap of Romeo and Cruz bundled up and ready to face a snowstorm on their way to school. She captioned the shot: “When mum makes u go to school in the snow. (And your friends don’t go!) #Terriblemother.”
9. Victoria and David teach their kids the importance of hard work.
Given how successful their parents are, it’s not surprising that the Beckham kids are already paving their own career paths. But it turns out this hardworking attitude is something that David and Victoria deliberately instilled in their kids.
David says that “being hardworking is the best thing you can show your children,” and says he has always taught his kids to work hard both during and since his football career ended. “We try to lead by example, by showing them it's important to work hard. That's one of the key things me and my wife have always done, before we had children, and now we have four children,” he explained.
10. Victoria Beckham banned her kids from playing soccer in the house.
Unless your children are also the kids of a soccer superstar, this rule might not be relatable for all parents. Nevertheless, Victoria says this rule is part of her many guidelines for her kids. But, she admits they don’t always follow it. When discussing how she balances being a strict parent with allowing her kids to let loose, she admitted it’s about balance and picking your battles.
“They're still fun and they still run around the house and they're still crazy and they're dancing and they're kicking footballs around, which I don't allow them to do,” she said. “That seems to be the one area I can't discipline them, they will not stop playing football in the house,” she added.
11. The Beckham kids don’t have curfews.
Speaking of balance, one area where the Beckhams seem to go easy on their kids is in relation to curfews. It seems that, with all their other rules in place, the famous couple trusts their kids to know when it’s time to come home.
In 2015, Brooklyn revealed that while his parents can be tight with their rules, they don’t impose a curfew.
“My parents are really cool and I never get in that late anyway,” he said.
12. David and Victoria Beckham make sure their kids are charitable and aware of their privilege.
Victoria says it was important to her that her kids know how fortunate they are in this life and they encourage them to want to help others.
“David and I explain to the children what privileged lives they lead. We tell them that in many places in the world children are hungry, homeless, and sick,” she said. “They all understand how important it is to help others.”
She also gushed about what her kids do to give back when they can, saying, “Romeo ran the children’s marathon earlier this year and raised an amazing amount of money through sponsorship, which he divided between David’s charity and UNAIDS.”
13. The Beckham kids are always encouraged to follow their passions.
Despite all their rules, one thing that the Beckhams let their kids decide for themselves is what career they want to pursue. Given how diverse their careers are, it’s clear the parents have never pushed their kids into a box but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t hard for David not to pressure his sons to pursue soccer.
"One of my boys turned around to me the other day and said, 'Daddy, you know, I'm not sure I want to play football all the time...' It broke my heart a little bit," he said back in 2015. But, the dad of four knows that his kids should be doing what makes them happy. "I said, 'Okay, stop right there... You play because you want to play.'"
14. Their daughter Harper isn't allowed to wear makeup outside of the house.
Harper seemingly takes after her fashion-forward mom, as Victoria has described their 11-year-old daughter as being "able to do a full face and contour for quite some time." Despite Harper's love and apparent talent for beauty, Victoria said she doesn't let her daughter wear makeup outside of the house.
15. They must treat their partners with respect.
With Brooklyn now married to Nicola Peltz and Romeo and Cruz both in relationships of their own, their dad has reportedly given them some very simple but sage advice.
“My dad was just always [like] look, ‘Just always treat her like a princess,’” Brooklyn told Us Weekly, adding that his father told him to "just talk and have fun. Enjoy each other and just work and do you guys’ thing.”
Alice Kelly is the former news and entertainment editor for YourTango. Based out of Brooklyn, New York, her work covers all things social justice, pop culture, and human interest. Keep up with her Twitter for more.