Dawson's Creek star Busy Philipps took to Instagram on Monday to celebrate her daughter Birdie's high school graduation. However, the 17-year-old did not attend school in Los Angeles, where Philipps resides. Instead, Birdie has been living over 5,000 miles away from her family, attending a boarding school in Sweden for the past three years.
Birdie's Independent Decision
The 46-year-old actress made it clear that the choice to study in Scandinavia was entirely Birdie's. In her Instagram caption, Philipps wrote: 'She has always been her own very unique person with exactly her own ideas- like for instance - going to high school at a boarding school in Sweden, a country we have no real familial ties to. But she was adamant was the right thing for her (maybe in large part thanks to a certain netflix series?).'
Challenges and Triumphs
Philipps acknowledged the difficulty of having her child so far away. 'These last three years have been challenging in ways we couldn't possibly have ever imagined but she did it!' she continued. 'She made it through and stayed, even when i think most kids- oh my god ANYONE would have thrown in the towel and just gone home. And today our brilliant Bird graduated! To know Birdie is to be in constant awe of her and i can't wait to see where she takes us next.'
Philipps also revealed that Birdie faced a medical issue while in Sweden. 'Sigtuna & Stockholm, jag älskar dig ❤️ @sarah.sandberg_ i will never be able to repay you for how you saved Birdie when she had her seizure but trips to Disney are on me for life,' she shared. A seizure is caused by sudden, abnormal electrical activity in the brain, which can be triggered by high fever, severe stress, infection, or epilepsy.
Gratitude and Support
The actress thanked those who helped Birdie over the years, including the family that hosted her. 'Tack så mycket to all of Birdie's teachers and friends (@robertzlaura !) and especially her house parents @sshl for taking such great care of our precious person,' she wrote. 'To all of Birdie's friends and family who couldn't be here but made sure they sent me something to hang around her neck today- i love you all beyond. You are my village!'
Philipps also expressed appreciation for her time in Sweden: '@etthemstockholm tack så mycket for truly being my home away from home and the most beautiful place to stay in the world. i promise ill come visit❤️@edvinrydings @officialomar @lisa_ambjorn your show clearly changed lives in many ways and i'm grateful for all of your friendship. @emmadrama thank you for being my friend in stockholm❤️.'
Family Life
Philipps also shares daughter Cricket, 12, with her ex-husband Marc Silverstein, a film producer, screenwriter, and director. She began her message by expressing how special Birdie is: 'I don't really know how exactly to put into words how proud i am of Birdie. i mean- i get that we're all proud of our kids all the time, yes. But to have a kid like Birdie is definitely something extra (which i mean in all the ways but especially the best ways).'
Philipps told People that she will be working away from home for the next few months on the TV show Cupertino for CBS. 'I'm working all summer on Cupertino, the new TV show that I'm doing for CBS, so the girls have to kind of be with their dad a lot and they're excited about it and so they're gonna be traveling, but I'm kind of just gonna be here working,' she said.
