Camila Alves McConaughey may be a glamorous former model who has been married to actor Matthew McConaughey for 13 years, but at the end of the day she’s also just a regular mom.
The entrepreneur, 42, has been navigating raising her teens — son Levi, 16, and daughter Vida, 15 — as well as her tween son, Livingston, 12, to make sure that they have good values and what she calls “honor.”
“We’ve been doing the foundation since Levi was born, so they’ve been seeing what we do throughout their whole lives,” says the activist, who helps run her and Matthew’s Just Keep Livin foundation, and works on their annual MJ&M fundraiser.
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Camila and Matthew McConaughey with their three kids
Related: Levi McConaughey Shares the Acting Advice Dad Matthew Gave Him as the 16-Year-Old Does His First Red Carpet Interview (Exclusive)
“And we get them as active as much as they can, but we also do a lot of things with them with other organizations,” continues Alves McConaughey. “So Meals on Wheels Thanksgiving is part of our Thanksgiving routine where we get over there and do the new deliveries. Any country we go to, any location we go to work, we always end up doing some form of charity things.”
Alves McConaughey explains that even when her family is on vacation, they make sure to carve some time out to give back to others — and notes she hopes it’s become part of who her kids are.
“Honestly, we all know as parents, you can only do your best. Kids are going to do what they’re going to do,” she says. “But we can try our best. So I’m hoping that because they grew up with this hands-on experience of giving back, of doing community work, that they will carry that on.”
Elizabeth Kreutz
Camila Alves McConaughey and daughter Vida
While of course there are the tougher parts of teenagehood to navigate, Alves McConaughey is just grateful for this new era of her relationship with her kids.
“I don’t truly believe in a parent [that] tells me like, ‘Oh, my teenagers are perfect,’ ” she tells PEOPLE. “They’re trying to figure it out, it’s a complex stage, but also just beautiful. You get to become, still parents, but also friends.”
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