Melinda French Gates Reveals Why She Allowed Her Children to Choose Their Last Name During School

Melinda French Gates' main priority when she was raising her kids was letting them be who they wanted to be.

While speaking with Elle for the annual Women of Impact feature, the billionaire philanthropist, 60, who shares three children with ex-husband Bill Gates, emphasized how important keeping her family life private was to her, as her children grew up. French Gates wanted to maintain some normalcy in her children's life, so she decided her kids would use her maiden name in elementary school. But when they entered middle school, the decision on what last name they wanted to use became theirs.

"I wanted the kids to be seen for who they were,” she told the outlet. “My oldest daughter went in with Gates; she felt like she was ready to take that name on. My son chose not to. He used French all the way through high school.”

“I just tried to keep them in the real world and point things out to them as much as possible,” she continued. “We had real discussions about how our family was different, but you shouldn’t think any more of yourself because of that.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Related: Melinda French Gates Wants People to See She’s 'Thriving on the Other Side' of Divorce from Ex Bill Gates

Gates and French Gates, who divorced in 2021 after 27 years of marriage, are parents to three children: daughters Phoebe, 22, and Jennifer, 28 and son Rory, 25. In May 2022, the philanthropist and global advocate for girls and women shared a sweet throwback shot with her three children,

In the snap, a smiling French Gates, strikes a pose with all three of her children. "Missing moments like this one today. They grow up faster than you think!" she captioned the family photo. "Happy Mother's Day, everyone.❤️"

Leaving an affectionate note to her mom in the comments section, Jennifer called her the "best mom in the world, then and now."

Elsewhere in the interview, French Gates looked back at her own life and journey, while briefly commenting on her split from the Microsoft co-founder.

"Look, divorces are painful, and it’s not something I would wish on any family," she told Elle when asked about her ex-husband's recent comments lamenting how their relationship ended — something she insisted she hadn't been focused on.

"You’ve clearly Googled more than I have," French Gates said with an eyeroll when the writer pointed to her ex's comments about regretting their divorce.

Related: Melinda French Gates Announces New Book About Change: 'Over the Last Few Years, I’ve Experienced a Lot’ (Exclusive)

As for her now, the Pivotal Ventures founder told the outlet she's focused on her work while still making time for her personal life. French Gates said, "I knew when I got divorced, I would be okay on my own."

Her memoir, The Next Day: Transitions, Change, and Moving Forward — which gives a "rare window into some of her life’s pivotal moments," according to the book's synopsis — hits shelves on April 15.

Read the original article on People