Will Smith was once the poster boy for family friendly ‘teen angst’. Now older than Uncle Phil the tables have turned and this one-time anthem of, “So to you, all the kids all across the land. There's no need to argue. Parents just don't understand” may haunt him just a little.

Transforming from kid rap star, to actor, to parent has been a life journey for ‘Big Willy’. As Smith’s children have gotten older, they have sought after the spotlight, just like their old dad. Father son relationships, particularly during the teen and early adult years can be particularly tumultuous. Add in the public eye constantly watching and asking about motivations of both dad and child and things get interesting.

Some things about Will and Jaden’s relationship are shockingly normal, but then there are other things born out of privilege, unique parenting philosophies, and celebrity which cause everyone to take pause. Today let’s look at the unusual relationship between Will and Jaden Smith.

20 The Recent Intervention

Jaden Smith is very vocal about his support of a vegan lifestyle. His concerned parents confronted him on his moms show, Red Table Talk because they were concerned. Jada said, “We realized he wasn’t getting enough protein. So, he was wasting away. He just looked drained, he was just depleted, he wasn’t getting the nutrients.” Thankfully Jaden listened to his concerned family and has since opted for vegetarianism instead to help keep his health in check.

19 Going Public On Problems With Will's Parenting

Will and Jada expect an open and honest relationship with their children, often airing their personal business on Jada’s Red Table Talk. When Jaden and Willow talked about being pushed by their parents and outsiders for success instead of creative expression it brought Jada to tears. Jaden confirmed their support should have been strong, but, "Not just so much about a hit record," saying he felt this parental pressure following his work on the film The Karate Kid.

18 Jaden's Fearlessness 'Terrifies' Will As A Parent

Will wants to encourage his children to be themselves but admits that it can be hard to let go and just let them choose their own paths. In an interview Will candidly said, “Jaden is 100-percent fearless; he will do anything. As a parent it's scary, it's terrifying, but he is completely willing to live and die by his artistic decisions and he doesn't concern himself with what people think."

17 Practicing Pick Your Own Punishment Parenting

In an attempt to raise little adults Will and Jada didn’t really punish their children. Will said, "We don't do punishment. The way that we deal with our kids is, they are responsible for their lives. Our concept is, as young as possible, give them as much control over their lives as possible and the concept of punishment, our experience has been—it has a little too much of a negative quality." Only time will tell how this worked out for his now young-adult children.

16 Dad's Influence On Why Hollywood Won't Cast Him

While famous kids often have a leg up on regular folk, there is always the looming shadow of their famous parents. This homeschool kid was raised to be confident in his intellect thanks to dad, Will, and mom Jada. Unfortunately, his confidence in sharing his unorthodox ideas and philosophies to the public has become a joke between many powerful people in Hollywood, which isn’t what you want when you’re trying to build your own career.

15 Jaden's Need To Move Away From Hollywood & Dad

In 2017, Jaden told Teen Vogue that he was done with LA, perhaps to get some space from his family and establish himself as an individual. He said, "There's a lot of bad things here ... It's hard these days to really create the life you want for yourself because there's nobody really here that's like supporting the youth or the youth's creativity and the things that we want to do and how they want to live life." As far as we know he lives in Hidden Hills California, so he didn’t get far, about an hour away from LA proper.

14 They're Open About Everything - Even Bowel Movements

Apparently potty talk is allowed at Red Table Talk. During a regular episode Will asked his family about their bathroom habits. Will said, "How many times do y'all poop in the course of a day? I can go three days without." Without missing a bead Jaden said, “That is not good. And that’s why your farts smell like that." No topic is off limits for Will and his son.

13 What Will's Circle Of Safety Means

Will wanted to create a space where his kids could be honest with him and Jada without fear of getting into trouble. In describing this concept to Jimmy Fallon, he said, "They're allowed to tell us everything that they did [in the circle of safety], and they can't get in trouble," Will said. "The rule is, if we find out after the circle of safety that there was something you didn't say, there was hell to pay."

12 What Will Thinks Of Jaden Wearing Dresses

Will isn’t a parent who would have stopped his son from playing with dolls or expressing himself by wearing dresses. When asked by BBC 1 Radio about his thoughts on Jaden wearing dresses on the regular, he said, "There's a really powerful internal quality as an artist that as parents we encourage. You gotta get out on the edge, you have to try things, you have to be comfortable doing things that people don't agree with, and you have to be comfortable doing things that you could fail."

11 How Will's Marriage Influenced Jaden

Hollywood has always speculated about Will and Jada’s relationship, whether there is infidelity or an open arrangement which would impact both kids. In a telling moment, Jada talked about that after over twenty years together, “I feel that I’m just now entering an adult relationship with Will. We finally are learning to have an adult relationship.” Although Jaden has only dated a couple of women publicly, the relationship between his mom and his dad is sure to influence his romantic future.

10 He's Not Will's Only Son

There is a lot of focus on Jaden as Will’s son and a lot of people forget that he has other kids. His son Trey was born in 1992, from a previous relationship, and you might remember him from Will’s video, Just the Two of Us. Will admits that he didn’t give his all to Trey growing up because he had started another family and currently is working to repair their relationship. These regrets are an influence on how much effort Will puts into remaining close with Jaden.

9 Interesting Collaborations On Stage At Coachella

Sometimes dad likes to prove that he still has it. Will Smith surprised festival fans when he joined Jaden on stage at Coachella. Will joined Jaden for the song Icon and was quick to take the mic and announce to the crowd, “I love this man right here.” Father/ son love for all to see.

8 Constantly Compared To Dad

People expect big things out of Jaden - I mean the talent genes run deep in his family. His overconfidence has made people highly critical of him. Doing things like tweeting that he is, “the future of music, photography and filmmaking" angered professionals and fans who appreciate Will for his down to earth, appreciative attitude. Jaden should take note.

7 Personal Pursuit Of Creativity

Being raised a home-schooled child Jaden could pursue whatever his mind fancied, and Will encouraged this. So, when Jaden told GQ, “I don’t think I’m as revolutionary as Galileo, but I don’t think I’m not as revolutionary as Galileo,” Will likely expected it. Someone close to the family told The Post, “Jada and Will have raised both kids to believe that they are super creative geniuses. They treat them that way, and the children believe that the world should fall into line as well.”

6 Will Got A Little Too 'Festive' At Jaden's Birthday

Jada used her platform on her Red Table Talk program to confront Will on how much he’d been drinking lately, particularly following Jaden’s 21^st birthday. Will was open in admitting that he needs to step up when it comes to setting an example for Jaden and Willow. He said, “On vacation time it was a lot because it's in front of my kids, it's like now I'm being a bad parent.”

5 Paying Tribute Together For Fresh Prince Roots

“In west Philadelphia born and raised” dad Will makes no secrets of his beginnings. Jaden Smith was quick to show his appreciation for dad by playing The Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme song at Will’s birthday and making everyone join in, in his birthplace Philadelphia. For the same 51^st birthday Jaden posted on IG, “I love you more than you understand.”

4 The Generation Gap Is Real

Time has changed and so has the way everyone parents. Even big stars who are proud of their close-knit relationship with their family will admit this. During a red-carpet event Will said, “What I'm noticing is how different this generation is from our generation. It's one of the biggest generation gaps in history. Technology has created a gigantic generation gap. They are growing up in a different world than we grew up in. So, they are very different human beings than me."

3 The Family That Eats Together

Parents love to enjoy a family night with their kids. When someone can’t make it (like Jaden in this case), they’ll happily tease them and even photoshop them into the event. Will told Psychology Today about togetherness time and parenting, “You can't protect your child from everything, but the buffer provided by a loving and supportive family who accepts their children exactly as they are is the absolute best thing you can offer your children."

2 Proud Papa Loves To Boast

Will is happy to brag about his kids, even though they admit it embarrasses them sometimes, especially when they were teens. Will says, "What I do with my children, that I feel that the greatest gift that I can give my children is the freedom to be who they are. [My wife] and I are very serious about finding what they are and encouraging them to be what they are because you can never be happy being what you're not."

1 Family Night Is A Real Thing

Philanthropy is big in the Smith family, and that comes to putting your money, or in this case food, where your mouth is. Jaden opted to hire the I Love You Food truck to feed 8,000 people living on Skid Row, free, healthy food. Jaden has also helped bring clean water to Flint Michigan by providing a new filtration system. Dad is also connected to many charities including: Youth Empowerment, Red Cross, and their own Family Foundation.

Sources: Psychology Today, E! Online, GQ, The Post, ET Online, People, Veg World Mag, People, Vice, Fox News, Nicki Swift