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Simon Cowell Admits That His Son Eric Getting Bullied ‘Terrifies’ Him: ‘I Don’t Think I Could Handle It’
A concerned parent. Simon Cowell may be extremely successful and famous, but he still shares the same worries that a lot of parents do.
“Him being bullied is what I dread most,” the 59-year-old tells Daily Mail. “There are two things that worry me about him growing up. One is stress. Children are under so much stress — with homework, pressure. I really don’t want that for him.”
“The second thing is bullying. It terrifies me. If there’s even a whiff of it … I don’t think I could handle it,” the music mogul reveals.
The American Idol alum is clearly protective of his 5-year-old son, who he shares with his girlfriend, Lauren Silverman. And while the TV personality is quite wealthy, he wants to make sure to keep Eric from becoming spoiled. “It’s a challenge, but I do want him to have the type of childhood I had, and the same values,” Simon explains, adding that “he’s too young to realize” how financially well they are.
“You can’t force things, though. I have heard that some people make a big fuss of sitting their kids in economy while they stay in first class, to teach them the value of it,” the American’s Got Talent judge continues. “I don’t think Eric could care less, but we quite like having him there to talk to.”
Simon even balks at the idea of buying his son a Ferrari when he turns 17. “Absolutely not, no way, there’s zero chance of that kind of nonsense,” he says. “He might get a Tesla, but I certainly don’t want him to become one of those kids you see on Instagram who have everything and are already jaded by it all.”
“I don’t want Eric to be that person,” he adds. “I’ll tell him, ‘You can enjoy it when you’ve earned it.'”
He’s not a harsh TV judge like he used to be, and we can thank Eric for that, as he’s turned his dad into a big softie — and Simon is completely fine with that. “[Time flies] like you wouldn’t believe,” he once told Us Weekly.
“I said to someone the other day, ‘It’s much easier than I thought.’ And then you can’t imagine ever not having him … It’s the most amazing feeling,” he added.
