Jesinta and Buddy Franklin: ‘Parenthood has taught us to be more present’
Jesinta Franklin says she and AFL star husband Buddy have been spending more time together during lockdown and learning how to become more present parents.
Confidential
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Enjoying the slower pace of the world in 2020, AFL golden couple Buddy and Jesinta Franklin are relishing time with newborn daughter, Tullulah.
Photographed out the front of their Sydney home, new mum Jesinta appeared relaxed as she shared a candid moment with the five-month-old yesterday.
“Parenthood has taught us to be more present,” the couple said in an interview with Crown this week. “We can get so caught up with work and it’s easy to spend a lot of time on social media but since having Tullulah around it has made us enjoy the little things and be more present in life and with each other.”
Jesinta, 28, and her Sydney Swans star husband have understandably kept the first few months with Tullulah low key. Coronavirus restrictions and an injury for Buddy have given the young family plenty of time together.
“Without sounding naive to how challenging lockdown was for so many people, we truly feel it was a blessing in spending more quality time with each other. Moving forward we want to continue to adopt a slower way of life and focus on spending as much quality time together as a family.”
The couple meanwhile also applauded the Black Lives Matter movement and the global push to end racism.
In the candid interview, they said: “We are both extremely passionate about equality and creating fair and equal opportunities for future generations. Racial injustice is a huge issue here in Australia and has been for many years. The protests around the world have been emotional for our family yet the light amongst it all is that it has brought many issues to the forefront of people’s minds and we are encouraged by the conversations people are having and the desire for change. The biggest step towards change is to keep the conversation going, to demand equality and call out racism when you see it, hear it or read it.”
Footy star Buddy, who is Indigenous, previously revealed his plans to use his platform to bring change for all Australians.
“My mum is a Noongar-Whadjuk woman and she taught me to be proud of who I am. But to be honest, our heritage and her story wasn’t spoken about a lot because of all of the hurt from the past,” he told Marie Claire last year.
“Our people have been subjected to discrimination and unfair treatment. There are still challenges facing our people to this day and I hope that my story can help educate people and bring respect and a sense of pride from all Australians about who we are.”
The couple welcomed the birth of their first child, Tullulah, in February.
Jesinta previously said her daughter motivates her to fight for social change, particularly as it relates to the Uluru Statement from the Heart, which calls for the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Australian Constitution.
“I know I’m going to have these discussions with my child and explain the dark parts of history, but we also want to celebrate the beautiful Indigenous culture and stories,” she said.
“We want our child to feel included, recognised, heard and worthy, which is why constitutional recognition is so important to us.”