Charlize Theron's kids can be "a**holes".

The 'Mad Max: Fury Road' actress insisted Jackson, 11, and nine-year-old August are "normal kids" who get "so embarrassed" by their mom on a regular basis and they both have very strong personalities.

She told E! News: “Oh, my God, they're so embarrassed by me constantly. They’re kids, they're girls, you know? I have a preteen and I feel like I have a nine year old who thinks she's a 13 year old. It’s a lot of girl in our house.

“I'm just trying to keep my head above water, because they are smart and they are witty and they are firecrackers, but they do not go, ‘Oh my god, Mom, you're so amazing.’ They’re like, ‘Excuse me, I need. I want.’

“They’re a**holes, but they’re really nice. Other parents know what I’m talking about.”

Charlize often uses "reverse psychology" on her children, who are both adopted, in order to get them to do what she wants.

She told 'Entertainment Tonight': "I think the thing that I've learned as a parent, is like, as soon as you tell them to do something, they don't do it so. Reverse psychology is what I believe in."

The 48-year-old star launched the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP) - which seeks to address various issues in Africa including gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive healthcare discrepancies and a lack of accessible educational materials - in 2007 and she hopes her children follow in her philanthropic footsteps.

She said: "This is something that I fell in love with before my children came into my life. It's part of me now. It's been 17 years.

"They have really seen me be a part of this and work towards making this as successful as possible. And so hopefully, [they learn] through that."

"But also, I hope that they will find their own interests."