ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY:Shady Babyis inspired by Kaavia.
Who does she get most of her shade from?
GABRIELLE UNION:[Snickers] Me.
Credit: Ayanna McKnight
I would say me, probably.
DWYANE WADE:Yeah, I would say more you than me.
In the book, Shady Baby gets her toy snatched by another kid at the playground.
Ayanna McKnight; HarperCollins
How do you handle that scenario in real life?
I’m gonna grab her, hug her, and be like, “Who did?”
UNION:I’m more of the figure-it-out-on-your-own kind of parent.
Andrew Toth/Getty Images
How did she first get introduced to Chimmy?
UNION:My niece Chelsea is a rabid K-pop fan.
She would come in for K-pop conventions in LA and stay with us.
Who is the disciplinarian, and who’s the pushover?
UNION:I’m a sucker.
I can’t take tears, I can’t.
I’m not equipped.
Dwyane, last year you proudly shared that your daughter Zaya is transgender.
It seems like she’s getting to do a lot of cool things.
Do you think that has anything to do with it?
WADE:That’s a great question.
They’re exposed to so much.
When it comes to Zaya, she only knows the world that we have painted for her.
But as we get older, she’s going to get more exposed to real life.
UNION:Also, this generation is real clear on what it is.
I don’t think we had that clarity.
We were all raised with, “You assimilate, you follow these rules.
You work your butt off to get a seat at this table.”
I don’t want any part of this.
Why am I chasing toxicity?"
So it was never presented that way to us.
We’re justnowbecoming more clear that all skinfolk ain’t kinfolk, and all money ain’t good money.
How has this incredible journey that you’ve been on with Zaya helped shape the way you parent Kaavia?
UNION:What we’re trying to do is raise free children and free Black children.
Raising free Black children shouldn’t be a radical act, but it is.
Part of that freedom is not tying her into binary boxes.
Your parts make you who you are."
