Brenda Song recently shared her favorite family traditions, and how much she’s loving being a mom. The actress, who shares two sons with partner Macaulay Culkin, highlighted the importance of spending time with loved ones amidst the challenges of parenting and her career.
By April 2021, Song had reason to rejoice—she’d had her first son, Dakota. Just a few months later, in December 2022, she welcomed her second son, Carson. Although the couple’s family life has been richly punctuated by these milestones, the experience has led Song to reconsider where she focuses her energy.
You can never spend enough time with your children, and if you do, you will never be forgiven for it. Song wrote, lamenting the impermanence of childhood. She emphasized the value of family time, stating, “It’s just about spending time with your loved ones.”
Like all parents, Song and Culkin aspire to make unforgettable memories with their kids. In doing so, they’ve created an amazing annual tradition of traveling to botanical gardens together. Whether making art, climbing trees or creating poetry, this practice allows them to play and truly experience their environment. It pairs them with “generational moms,” including Culkin’s mother, Patricia Brentrup, and Song’s own grandmother.
As Song explained, this tradition of grape growing has been inherited through her family for generations. “We’ve kind of kept it in the family. It’s really small, but it’s really meaningful to us,” she said. Her mother, who herself is an avid gardener, makes these garden visits even more powerful.
The family typically chooses a botanical garden in Los Angeles, either revisiting a favorite location or discovering a new one. This annual event has morphed into a wonderful tradition. It deepens familial connections and creates lasting memories for their adventurous, newly walking, toddlers.
As she wrestles with the realities of working motherhood, Song is painfully honest about her struggles. She loves putting family time first. She frequently claims she’s willing to “cut corners at all other aspects of her life” to maximize time spent with her two young kids.
“I feel like every week it’s a new milestone,” Song remarked, reflecting on the rapid growth and development of her sons. The actress understands that, no matter how busy she is, she needs to soak up these early days.
