Gwen Stefani is still petrified of her parents.

The 39-year-old singer - who has sons Kingston, three, and one-year-old Zuma with husband Gavin Rossdale - claims the only reason she has never gone off the rails is because she is so worried about what her mother and father, Patti and Dennis, would say.

She said: "I was thinking today when I was driving, 'How am I going to make sure that Kingston never does anything bad and doesn't get arrested?' I was thinking, 'How did I stay out of trouble?' And I know it's just because my parents are so strict. I mean, I'm still scared of them!"

Gwen says being a mother is the most important part of her life, but is aware her children's upbringing is totally different from her own.

She told America's Glamour magazine: "I grew up in a normal family. The other evening, at the end of the night, I was there with Kingston putting him to bed, reading all his books, getting his diaper on and putting him in his crib. Then I got Zuma, nursed him, put him to sleep. Then I went to a Hollywood party! It is extremely different from how my parents raised me.

"I've always worked really hard, and the hardest thing I've ever done is have kids! Everything from getting up in the morning, to trying to be consistent, to trying to have the right feelings. But, of course, the rewards are great."