Mila Kunis And Ashton Kutcher Made An "Overnight" Decision To Talk To Their 5 And 7-Year-Old Children About What's Happening In Ukraine
It's been over a month since Russia invaded Ukraine, and Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher were among some of the first celebrities to speak up in defense of Ukrainians.
The celebrity couple started a GoFundMe campaign to raise $30 million for Ukrainian refugees, and they have already surpassed that goal. They also pledged to match up to $3 million in donations. Mila is half-Ukrainian and was actually born there before she and her family moved to the U.S. She and Ashton spoke about her Ukrainian heritage and how they're planning to pass it down to their children on CNN's "Who's Talking to Chris Wallace?"
Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher Made an "Overnight" Decision To Talk to Their Kids about Ukraine
Mila shared that she grew up speaking Russian because that was what Ukrainians spoke while under the USSR umbrella. "So my kids understand Russian," she said. "I speak Russian with my parents."
Watching everything unfold in Ukraine inspired Mila and Ashton to raise their kids with their half-Ukrainian heritage. She wants her 5 and 7-year-old children to know their Ukrainian roots in addition to being bilingual.
"It seemed like overnight we both turned to the kids, and we’re like, 'You are half Ukrainian, half American.' It instantly became a thing,” Mila said. She also went on to talk about the importance of embracing differences.
“It is ultimately incredibly important to know where you came from,” she continued. “It’s beautiful, it’s amazing to have multiple cultures. It’s a beautiful thing to have out there. We shouldn’t all be alike. We shouldn’t all think alike. That’s not the importance of community and growth. So we very quickly reminded our kids that they are half Ukrainian.”
Not only is it practical for the kids to know a second language, but Mila says the war going on in Ukraine has motivated her to make her children more aware of their heritage in general.
The couple recently took to Instagram to thank everyone for their support as they continue to raise money for Ukrainian refugees. "As funding continues to come in, we're going to treat every dollar as if it's being donated out of our pocket," Ashton said in a video, "With respect and honor for the work that went into earning it, the intent of love through which it was given, and the desire for it to be maximized for positive outcomes for others."