Candace Cameron Bure’s success as a parent is rooted in her own family upbringing. We watched her grow up playing young D.J. Tanner on the still-popular family sitcom Full House, and she emerged from that experience as a well-adjusted, happy young woman.
Everything as a family
“My parents never wanted us to get caught up in Hollywood,” Candace says. “It was always about doing everything as a family together. Even if I was working or if my brother [Kirk Cameron] had opportunities, we would go together.
Then, when we would come home at the end of the day, it went right back to family, and it went back to normalcy—working hard in school, doing chores and helping out.”
Balancing act
Candace now divides her time between her family, faith and select TV or f lm roles, but she keeps the importance of her career in perspective. She even wrote a book about it, Balancing It All: My Story of Juggling Priorities and Purpose.
That balanced priority system helps Candace continue to focus on her core family values. It also helped her navigate a long-distance relationship with pro hockey player Valeri Bure, whom she married in 1996 at age 20.
Long-distance romance
“Our relationship was actually very interesting, because when we first met we didn’t live in the same city,” Candace says. “After we initially met, we were courting one another on the phone for about five months before we ever saw each other again. When I was able to go visit, I was flying to see him once a month when I would have a week off. Then in the summertime when he was not playing hockey, he would come to LA, and we had time together.”
Now, 17 years and three kids later, they are as committed as ever despite hectic schedules.
Biggest priorities
“I absolutely love being a mom and love my husband, and those two things are my biggest priorities in my life,” she says. “Yet I absolutely love working. I take a lot of time and effort figuring out what is worth the time away from my family. I’ve set boundaries as to the types of projects that I do—things that my family can be proud of.”
She also makes a point to be mindful of breaking points. When the kids start to feel neglected or family harmony is disrupted, that means it’s time to stop, re-evaluate and shift priorities, she says. “You just continually regroup and put the priorities in place,” she says.
“It’s like a big juggling act. Sometimes you’ve got to let a plate fall, but you can always pick them back up.”
Candace's juggling act
In her book, Candace shares the fundamental values that she applies to her life as a wife, mother and actress. It offers powerful advice on how to find a happy medium in all aspects of
your life.
CHOICES: “Every so often we realize that our lives have gotten too crazy and something has to give. When that’s the case, it’s always work that takes the backseat for me. Missing out on a job would be a short-term regret, but reducing the priority of my kids for long periods of time would be a lifelong regret for me.”
PRIORITIES: “I have found that when Val and I have our overarching priorities firmly set, we can easily make the right decision. There is a sense of relief that comes when I realize I said no because it wasn’t important enough in the first place, at least at that moment in time.”
PARENTING: “I know my kids would agree with me that I’m a tough mom, because they’ve told me so. While I don’t think I’m the toughest out there (they never know how good they’ve got it!), hope I balance that toughness with plenty of love and affection. The rules and boundaries Val and I have put into place are there for our kids’ best interests. I see them as a sign of love, even though teenagers—and even some parents—might not view them that way at all.”
Gerry Strauss is a journalist specializing in entertainment and pop-culture features. He has interviewed everyone from actress Mayim Bialik to pro wrestler Paul “Triple H” Levesque.
