Adrienne Bailon Admits Her Son Ever James Might Follow in Her Footsteps: 'He's a Ham!'

Adrienne Bailon's son, Ever James, whom she shares with husband Israel Houghton, might want to follow in his family's footsteps.

"I just want him to have fun. I never want him to feel like it's a lot of pressure. In my case, it's the opposite. I don't want him to enjoy this so much. I want him to do something completely different than me and his dad, but it's not looking that way!" the 41-year-old — who is partnering with Life Cereal for its new “Mikey’d Up” campaign, inclusive of a national survey and tearjerking Life Cereal Documentary-Style Video that champions parents and encourages them to embrace the morning chaos by seeing it through their kids’ eyes — exclusively tells OK!.

"He is a ham!" she says of her tot, whom she welcomed via surrogate in 2022. "If I am doing a photoshoot, he's sneaking into pictures and posing. He thoroughly loves it and enjoys it! So, we're enjoying it with him right now. The day he doesn't enjoy it, we won't be doing it."

The "No More" songstress, who rose to fame when she joined the girl group 3LW in the '00s, is adamant on giving Ever James a "very normal childhood."

"A lot of people saw me as being really young, but I joined 3LW when I was 15 years old. I had a solid childhood. I feel like that made a huge difference," she explains. "I also did not have a stage mom at all! I had the opposite. I feel like that made a huge difference. She would constantly try to convince me to quit the industry and go to college. She was like, 'My job pays for you to go to college! You're still on my insurance.' I will constantly encourage him to do what makes him happy and what will lead to his greatest success in life. Doing what you love brings you success. I just want him to do what makes him happy."

The Disney Channel alum admits the trio is always jamming out at home. "We just did the GMA Dove Awards, and my sister and I choreographed our performance. My son knew every move to the choreography!" she gushes. "He literally could have been right there with us. He knew all the dance moves; he knew all the songs. He was prepared. He was in the rehearsals with us, and it's crazy when we won. He was sitting on my lap, and I didn't realize that I needed to hand him off so we could accept the award. I felt like it was giving Simba from The Lion King. It was a very funny moment."

Bailon also has some advice to deal with mom guilt. "I think it's about being intentional. Right now, we're on a family vacation. My nieces are with me, my sister with me. Prepare as best as you can so your mornings can go smoothly. I am the girl who lays out my clothes the night before. I kind of try to intentionally map out what our day is going to look like," she says. "I also ask for help. There's a reason why they say, 'It takes a village.' We don't have to be superwoman on my own, whether it's asking a girlfriend of yours or your sibling. It's important to have your village if you're blessed enough to have one. I know as moms we can be like, 'I can do it on my own,' but it's OK to ask for help."

The mom-of-one knows all too well that things don't always go right, especially when she's dealing with her toddler. However, she's all about embracing the mayhem, which is why she loved partnering with Life Cereal for their newest “Mikey’d Up” campaign.

Life Cereal has a message for parents as they gear up for back-to-school season – the typical morning chaos is not only ok but can even be something to be cherished! The brand conducted a research study featuring families from across the country, aimed at helping parents during this back-to-school season realize that the morning rush can be filled with joy and memorable moments, too.

"I was so excited to partner up with Life Cereal for this campaign — specifically because as a mom of a toddler, I have nieces and my whole family pretty much hangs with me at all times. I understand chaos in a real way," she quips. "I've always been a fan of Life Cereal. I grew up eating it. It's my husband's favorite cereal, and now, we've introduced it to my son, and the whole family gets in on it! It's really, really special. This campaign hit home. When I got to see the documentary they put together, which is now available online, and saw this whole concept of mornings being chaotic and crazy. There are times when I want things to be perfect. I don't want any spills or crumbs on the floor, but that's just not the reality of life. Life can be crazy and chaotic, but I think it's really special how they interviewed the parents who thought, 'Mornings are a hot mess in my house, we struggle every morning.' Then, they interviewed the kids, and they were like, 'Mornings are great and magical! We love it.'"

"Those are the core memories we'll have, and those are the things that make up kids' childhoods. It was pretty awesome seeing parents watch their kids' perspectives. It made me emotional," she adds. "I feel the same way! You can feel disappointed in yourself and mom guilt is real, but even in the craziest of moments, you go, 'I love life and this part of it.' It shifts your perspective and makes you appreciate the small, crazy, mundane moments."

Ultimately, the Cheetah Girls star wants moms to give themselves more credit. "These kids don't notice the crazy! They just see it as fun. I love that I get to partner with Life Cereal and get this message out there. As a mom, I get it, and we have to show ourselves some grace and constantly remind ourselves that we love this life," she concludes.