When it comes to someone like Gwyneth Paltrow, there is so much more than meets the eye. She is known for her various beliefs and the products she recommends, but she isn't as well-known for her parenting, despite being a devoted mother.

As transparent, open and honest as she tends to be in her interviews, her fans know that they are only scratching the surface. That’s because Gwyneth Paltrow is a public celebrity in front of the cameras, but she’s a private parent behind closed doors. As much as she wants you to know about her, her life as a Hollywood star, her Goop business and her role as a mother, there’s so much that her fans are still learning about her. In other words, Gwyneth isn’t the person that you think she is, especially when it comes to how she is raising her two children, her daughter Apple, and her son, Moses.

With that being said, here are 20 things that you probably didn’t know about Gwyneth Paltrow and her parenting style. A lot of this might sound like it’s pretty obvious (especially coming from someone like Gwyneth), but there are some things that will definitely surprise you.

20 Her Relationship With Chris Martin Is very healthy

Gwyneth Paltrow has always made it pretty clear that she and her husband Chris Martin are actually better off as friends and co-parents than they ever were as a married couple. As a matter of fact, the Hollywood actress even said that she still loves Chris like a very close brother.

She also has nothing but positive things to say about him as a father and has even posted very touching photos of Chris with their kids on social media.

From what fans can tell, Gwyneth and Chris have a very healthy approach and attitude when it comes to co-parenting.

19 Their Kids Always Come First

Gwyneth has implied several times that her family – and her kids in particularly – always come first in her life. That’s why she’s reportedly scaled back on her work in the film industry because she wants to spend more time with her two children, Apple and Moses, rather than on film sets for 18 hours a day. She’s also very particular about the quality of education that they get.

Gwyneth even said at one point that she would rather have her kids go to school in London just because she was so impressed with the education across the pond. With that being said though her kids now go to school in California.

18 She Has One Big, Happy Family With Her New Husband, Brad

For Gwyneth Paltrow, all she wants is for her family, friends and loved ones to be happy. That’s why it’s very important for her that her ex-husband, Chris Martin, gets along well with her new husband, Brad Falchuk. And from what fans can tell so far, it looks like things are going pretty well for this one, big, happy family so much so that she’s even posted pics of the two men enjoying lunch together.

Gwyneth truly is a lucky woman because there aren’t many people out there who can say that their ex-husband and current husband are good friends!

17 She Protects Her Kids From The Media

Gwyneth Paltrow has been in the business long enough that she knows what the pros and cons are of being in the Hollywood spotlight. After all, she’s seen the good, the bad, and the downright weird. She also knows that she has as many fans out there as she does critics. That’s why she’s very careful about some of the things that she posts online, as she wants to protect her kids from the media.

Even though she will post a rare photo of her kids, she protects their privacy by not exposing too much about them, their lives, and what goes on behind closed doors.

16 She’s Also Careful About How Much People Know About Their Lives

And while neither of Gwyneth’s children have their own social media accounts, it does seem as though they might be destined to follow their famous parents in their footsteps. Apple Martin has also proved that she has her father’s incredible musical talents and from what we can tell, a good mix of both her father and mother’s beauty.

It’s safe to say already that Apple is growing up to be a stunning, beautiful young lady. It’s without a doubt that the media will be taking more notice of her in the coming years. She’s got that look that says superstar in the making.

15 She Is All About Honest Parenting

Say what you will about Gwyneth Paltrow, but there’s one thing that everyone can agree with: if she’s got something to say, she will say it, regardless of what her critics might think. Gwyneth might have an unconventional way of living her life or raising her family, but she’s doing what she thinks is best for her, her kids, and her loved ones.

She’s also not afraid to hold back, especially when it comes to her opinions or her honesty about her parenting.

Gwyneth has said in the past, “It's a waste of time for people to say things they think other people want to hear, or try and come off in a certain way. I try to be as honest as I can.”

14 She is A Mom And A Girl Boss

Gwyneth has always said that she wants to set a good example for her daughter and that’s why she takes pride in being a girl boss, so to speak. Gwyneth told Glamour UK: “I think I am very much a girl boss, meaning that I try to lead from my feminine. For me, what that means is leading from a place of collaboration and consideration to very much keep that flow of energy going through everything.

"All start-ups are inherently feminine because it’s creative, it’s collaborative, it’s feelings – and as you grow, they get more masculine and more orientated to masculine processes and PNLs and patriarchy. That is also necessary, but I think it’s important to find the right balance. I love being a woman leader and I love employing mostly women – it’s amazing to see women win.”

13 She Is A Clean-Living Mama

If there’s one thing that Gwyneth Paltrow hates (other than canned cheese) it’s chocolate that isn’t organic. Okay, that’s up for debate, but Gwyneth has always said that living and eating clean is very important for her and her family.

Gwyneth told Glamour UK: “I was a person who loved sugar, fried food and [drinking] – I still am, quite frankly. But when I did my first 21-day cleanse called, The Clean Program and cut out caffeine, gluten, diary… I felt completely re-born. I was like, ‘This wellness thing is real! I feel incredible!’ Of course, I went back to martinis, but I try to do one once a year!”

12 She Is Loving Life After Her Second Marriage

Gwyneth has a very positive attitude, especially when it comes to all aspects of her life. While being a single mom and getting married a second time in your forties might be challenging, Gwyneth embraced it.

In fact, she’s now feeling better and happier than she has in years, and it’s because she’s managed to find love again. A happy Gwyneth is definitely a happy mama.

Gwyneth told Glamour UK: “It’s fantastic. I feel so lucky and I am so grateful. It’s different to be in your mid-forties; do it again and bring all your experience, your pain, your happiness [...] everything. It’s actually very heartening, I feel very optimistic!”

11 She Is Teaching Her Kids About Humility

Gwyneth Paltrow might be an award winning actress with a well-deserved Oscar win, but she knows that it all didn’t come easy for her. In fact, she is very honest about her failures and how she’s made plenty of mistakes in her career.

She wants to teach her kids that in order to succeed, you first have to place your feet on the bottom before you reach the top.

Gwyneth told Marie Claire, “You don’t have to wait in line at a restaurant, and if a car doesn’t show up, someone else gives you theirs. There is nothing worse for the growth of a human being than not having obstacles and disappointments, and things go wrong. All of my greatest achievements have come out of failure.”

10 She Is Probably Not Going Back To Hollywood

Gwyneth Paltrow might be a huge Hollywood star and a household name, but she’s made it pretty clear that she’s not going back to the movie industry anytime soon. Even though she doesn’t mind filming an odd cameo here and there, she doesn’t want to go back to filming full-time.

When asked what she misses the most about Hollywood, Gwyneth told Marie Claire, “Nothing. It’s so weird. It was such a part of my identity for so long… I went out to LA for a couple of days, and I actually didn’t hate it. But I just don’t miss it. The level and breadth of creativity that I have in this job is so bananas, and I’m very fulfilled.”

9 She Is Open About Her Experience With PPD

Just like so many other celebrity moms, Gwyneth has been very open and honest about her post-partum depression after the birth of her son, Moses. For Gwyneth, it was a period in her life that she never experienced before.

"I had terrible postnatal depression, which I think was really [surprising] to me because I never thought that I would be a person who got postnatal depression," Gwyneth said, according to Pop Sugar. "I was so euphoric when Apple was born, and I assumed that would happen with Mosey, and it took a while. I really went into a dark place."

8 She IS Moving Forward After Her Difficult Period

Gwyneth knew that the only way that she could move on from her post-partum depression was to talk about it. It’s something that she didn’t want to hide, although it was a very difficult moment in her life.

"It's a very debilitating thing, and I think there's so much shame around it, and there shouldn't be," she said, according to Entertainment Tonight in a 2015 interview. She adds, "I tried to use that opportunity to try to really get in there and heal some stuff."

7 She Celebrates The Small Moments

Gwyneth Paltrow might be a huge Hollywood star who is used to all the finer things in life, but she also enjoys all of the small moments in her life. In other words, she doesn’t take anything from granted, especially when it comes to spending quality time with her two precious children. That’s why she loves taking off during the summer months to be with them.

“Just to have my kids be in the sun every day—picking avocados, going for a swim,” she says. “Even for two years or something, and come back when they go to senior school.”

6 She Is Raising Citizens Of The World

Also, let’s not forget that Gwyneth herself is pretty fluent in Spanish and that her foreign language skills are quite impressive! She’s even done full-length interviews in her second language. That’s why she’s been doing her best to make sure that her children learn foreign languages very early in their lives. She wants to make sure that Apple and Moses grow up to be citizens of the world. This is something she’s always emphasized for years.

Speaking about her children’s nannies, she’s said before, “She’s French, so she’s teaching them French, and their previous nanny was Spanish, so they’re fluent in Spanish.”

5 She Is Leaning On Other Mothers

Gwyneth Paltrow knows that it takes a village to raise a happy family. She also knows that it’s very important to have good mom friends in your life, too. That’s why she leans on her good friends like Beyonce for support. If there’s one person who knows how important a good mom’s night out is, it’s the one and only Queen Bey! Gwyneth once recalled, “Beyoncé’s like, ‘Okay. The singing is great. But you’re not having any fun.’ She’s like, ‘Remember when we were at Jay’s concert and Panjabi MC comes on and you do your crazy Indian dance? Do that. Be you!'”

4 She Is Raising Her Kids Across The Pond

As mentioned above, Gwyneth Paltrow prefers to have her kids education in London and one of the reasons why is because she just prefers to English way and life of doing things. But that’s not to say that she doesn’t love her home – she’s a California girl at heart. But at the same time, she feels just as comfortable in London as she does in Los Angeles.

Gwyneth said in the past, “I love the English way, which is not as capitalistic as it is in America. People don't talk about work and money. They talk about interesting things at dinner parties.”

3 She’s Gotten Plenty Of Criticism

Sure, Gwyneth Paltrow has plenty of friends who follow each and every move she makes on social media. They also love her lifestyle blog and brand, Goop. But at the same time, she’s gotten plenty of criticism in the past, too. S

he once implied that her life as an actress is harder than what many regular moms with 9-5 jobs go through every day. Let’s just say that her critics definitely didn’t take this lightly. “I think to have a regular job and be a mom is not as, of course there are challenges, but it’s not like being on set,” Gwyneth said.

2 She Thinks Moms Need To Take Care Of Themselves First

Yes, Gwyneth Paltrow has had plenty of hiccups in public, too. While some people believe that has very interesting things to say, others can’t help but do a double take, especially when it comes to some of her more bizarre quotes. As much as we love Gwyneth, we couldn’t help but get a chuckle out of what she said a few years back.

Gwyneth said (via Brainy Quotes): “Taking care of yourself is being there for your kids, like how on a plane, they tell you to put on your oxygen mask first.” It’s like stating the obvious, right? We’ve probably all said something similar in the past! We are all allowed one pass on a brain fart.

1 She Clearly Has So Much Love For Her Kids

While no one knows what is in Gwyneth Paltrow’s future, one thing is for certain: she will always love her children, Apple and Moses, her husband, and of course her family. She’s proud of them and she’s not afraid to tell the world about it, either.

She wrote this on Apple’s birthday: “Happy birthday, my darling girl. You make everyday feel like Christmas morning. You are the most vibrant, hilarious, twirling all over the place, beautiful (inside and out) young woman. You are an amazing thinker and an incredible songwriter. Thanks for still hanging out with me, even though you are 14.”