The Way Tina Knowles Helped Beyoncé & Solange Form A Lasting Bond Proves She's A Super Mom

It's not easy being an international superstar — or being related to one. In a recent interview with Maria Shriver, Tina Knowles revealed how she helped Beyoncé and Solange deal with fame. The sisters' mom knew that her daughters were growing up in the spotlight, and she took important steps when they were young to make sure they never felt as if they were in competition with one another.

It's 2018, and Queen Bey is at the peak of success. Her most recent visual album Lemonade is a masterpiece, and her history-making Coachella set secured her place as one of the greatest performers of the generation. Meanwhile, Solange found her own path to acclaim with her 2016 album A Seat at the Table. The record was a mainstream and critical hit, and brought the singer many new fans. However, Solange's breakout record came years after her sister became one of the world's biggest celebrities, which could challenge any family relationship. In her new interview with Shriver, Knowles said that both of her daughters were in counseling from a young age, so that they could be taught how to handle the fame.

Just in time for Mother's Day, Knowles discussed raising her two daughters, as well as her honorary daughter, Kelly Rowland. She stressed that the women working in her hair salon gave the young girls positive role models as kids, since the stylists she hired always lifted each other up. When it came to their careers, Knowles said her own mother favored her brother, so she was sure to give both of her children equal attention and support. "On Wednesdays, I took off from work and that was Solange's day," Knowles said. "It was tough, because Solange was only five-years-old and Beyoncé was this little superstar in our city."

The Knowles sisters are five years apart in age, and Solange was only 10 when her sister started to make it big in music on a national scale. In order to help both of her daughters cope with the increasing attention on Beyoncé, their mother put them in counseling. She explained to Shriver,

"I took them to counseling very early so that Beyoncé could be more sensitive to Solange. It made her more sensitive to who her sister was, and what she had to deal with because of her."

Beyoncé was still a teenager when Destiny's Child had their first hit single, and her younger sister was only a kid. It was important to Knowles that they understand and look out for each other as Bey's career took off.

In addition to the counseling to help the sisters deal with the increasing fame and spotlight on the family, Knowles also taught her daughters to be confident. "I just spent a lot of time teaching my girls to not be insecure because there's another pretty girl around, because you are the most beautiful thing going," she said in the interview. "I think that's really important." This lesson appears to have helped Beyoncé in her career as well, as she always seeks out the most talented dancers and collaborators without being concerned about being out-shined.

Knowles stressed that the counseling from a young age helped build a strong and lasting relationship between her daughters. She told Shriver Media,

"I wanted Beyoncé to be more sensitive to the fact that Solange had to deal with being a little bit in her shadow. It made her way more sensitive and protective and they are still fiercely protective of each other."

These days, Solange and Beyoncé remain close. The two recently appeared on the Coachella stage, where they performed a duet and danced to "Get Me Bodied." In 2014, Bey was in the wedding party when her sister tied the knot with music video director Alan Ferguson.

Shriver asked the mother how to deal with children who feel stuck in a sibling's shadow, even without the element of fame in the mix. The champion mom explained that it's important to focus on the child who is struggling, but she was lucky with Solange, who was fiercely independent even as a child. "Solange from a very early age walked to the beat of her own drum," she told Shriver.

This attitude, along with support from Bey and the rest of the family, meant Solange was unfazed by her sister's stardom. In recent days, both stars have continued to be busy and influential. Solange recently made fashion waves with her look at the 2018 Met Gala, and the world is still reeling from Bey's history-making Coachella performance. Whether the secret to the sister's relationship was counseling or the presence of women role models like their amazing mom (or both), it seems Solange and Beyoncé will continue to support each other for years to come — and Knowles wouldn't have it any other way.