Candace Cameron Bure, second from left, enjoys The Grove with her sons Maksim, at left, and Lev, and her daughter, Natasha. PHOTO BY ZEKE RUELAS
As a fan of ’80s family sitcoms, I loved watching Candace Cameron Bure’s TV character, D.J. Tanner on “Full House,” navigate middle- and high-school drama, struggle through her Spanish class, crush on cute boys, fight and make up with her younger sisters. For many of us, she was the big sister we wished we had as we watched her grow up on the popular ABC show, which ran from 1987 to 1995. Once in syndication, the wholesome charm of “Full House” captured a new generation of kids – including my own daughters, who fell in love with the Tanners, Uncle Jesse and Joey. We were excited to see the characters return this year in the Netflix spinoff, “Fuller House.” I recently chatted with Cameron Bure about motherhood, growing up in L.A. and holiday family traditions.
You grew up in the Valley. What are some of your fond childhood memories and how do you enjoy L.A. now with your family?
I love it here. L.A. is one of my favorite cities in the whole world. I started working full time when I was 10. Most of my days were spent at the studios in Culver City and Burbank. But I did enjoy ice skating at the Topanga Mall, and I’m a beach girl at heart. My family would go to the beach almost every Sunday. Now, I live by the beach. We love going to Santa Monica Pier, Zuma, hike Temescal Canyon. I love being outside. Sunshine rejuvenates me. Both my boys play ice hockey, so we also spend a lot of time indoors at the rink.
How would you describe your mothering style?
Being a mom is my biggest priority. I hope my kids would say that I’m a loving mom. They would also describe me as strict. We set firm boundaries, but there is always love and grace. I’m the mom that needs to meet the parents before my kids can go to a new friend’s house. I want to know who they’re with, where they’re going. Even now that they’re driving, I want them to text me when they arrive and when they’re heading home. We work hard to keep our communication open and talk through any situation. I am always willing to listen. But, I don’t always say “yes.” My goal as a parent is not to make my kids happy, but to guide them to be respectful, curious, responsible, resilient, kind, giving and thoughtful adults.
Since taking on co-hosting “The View” more than a year ago, you’ve been traveling to New York each week. How has that affected your work/life balance?
It’s definitely a juggling act. Life is seasonal. As your kids grow up, seasons change. The first 10 years of my kids’ lives, I was out of the business and a stay-at-home mom. Then I started working part time and now I’m working full time. I fly from L.A. to New York on Sunday afternoon and then fly back home on Thursday afternoon. My kids are now older. My daughter is 18, my sons are 16 and 14 and my husband [former NHL hockey player Valeri Bure] is home during the week. Every family is different. And it’s important for us moms not to compare ourselves to anyone else. There is no right or wrong way. Accept your situation and find the joy in it.
Tell us about your family’s holiday traditions.
Our Christian faith is everything to me. We love celebrating the holidays with beautiful decorations, singing carols and leaving cookies out for Santa and carrots for his reindeers. But at the core of Christmas is the spirit of giving and sharing. For the last five years, my family and I have been volunteering at a local homeless shelter on Christmas morning. Creating a sense of community and giving back is so important and I want my kids to carry that with them.
