Jessica Biel is opening up about how she and husband Justin Timberlake shared parenting duties for sons Silas, 6, and Phineas, 11 months, during the coronavirus pandemic.
"It was very much: Be flexible, go with the flow," Biel told People magazine. "But you have to divide and conquer, otherwise I think one person probably gets too burned out. And we just have to be there for each other."
The couple's boys participated in home-schooling pods and small social circles to get needed time with children their own ages.
"It was really helpful for my kids to have some small, safe social circle, and I didn't go crazy," said Biel, who added that she probably won't be adding educator to her résumé anytime soon.
"I am not a teacher. That is what I learned," said the "7th Heaven" alum, 39.
With the pandemic's restrictions easing across the country, Biel is now looking forward to "just being with friends, looking at each other and going, 'We made it through.'"
"Human beings are resilient creatures. We come back stronger when things are tough," she added.
Timberlake, 40, made headlines earlier this year when he confirmed that he and Biel welcomed their second child in 2020. In June, the singer and actor shared a sweet photo on Instagram that found him playing video games with Silas as Phineas looked on.
The same month, Biel gave fans more details about how the couple welcomed their "secret COVID baby" during an appearance on Dax Shepard's podcast, "Armchair Expert."
"It wasn't like it was supposed to be a secret. It was just COVID happened, and then I went to Montana with my family and never left," explained the star.
As excited as they were to expand their family, both Biel and Timberlake had to adapt to having a newborn at home again. "I forgot what happens," Biel said, laughing. "To you, as a person, as a human. With your partner, with your sleep schedule. I forgot. I'm happy we're 11 months in because it was serious."
And even though Silas is proving to be a "sensitive and tender" child and little Phineas is "cute as hell," taking care of two little boys is definitely a lot more work.
"Someone said to me, 'Two is like having a thousand.' And that's exactly what it feels like," said Biel. "The balance of everything is very different and super hard."
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