“I always said when I had a child, I wanted him to be my best friend, and I wanted him to look at me as his best friend.” La La Anthony previously described how she always wanted to keep her relationship with her son. After a decade of being together and married, the couple decided to split. But for Carmelo Anthony and La La, Kiyan was always their priority. Sometimes, this care and love language can be perceived as embarrassing, after all, there is a generation that grew up on social media.

It seems social media habits from the 18-year-old’s parents sometimes create embarrassing moments for him. Especially if there is a certain post about him, which he doesn’t want the world to see. He recently spoke to PEOPLE, “Oh, they still do [embarrass me.] They post a lot of videos that I don’t want them to post,” he admits, while discussing his episode of Instagram’s Close Friends Only podcast with Carmelo Anthony.

Kiyan will begin his freshman year playing basketball at his father’s alma mater, Syracuse, in the fall, and La La is having the hardest time accepting the upcoming move. That’s why those embarrassing messages or videos from his parents are part of their daily communication. “But it’s all good. It’s all jokes,” says Kiyan. “They see me more than anybody, so they got all the funny videos of me, and sometimes they like to troll and post it.”

In another video, LuHi alumni would actually expand on the habits. His task was to talk about the Last DM, and no points for guessing, it was his mother, La La Anthony. You won’t even have to guess what she sent. “Oh, my mom sent me a reel. Yeah, she sent me a reel of myself. So, that was the last DM I sent.”

Parents’ embarrassing antics won’t stop Kiyan from messaging Carmelo Anthony

The father-son duo recently joined Instagram’s original series Close Friends Only and dropped some real gems. Melo also stated he would share stuff about fashion, outfits, music, movies, or book recommendations as a means to stay connected. It is how modern parenting is. Adapt to the ways. Since Kiyan would begin his journey in Syracuse soon, the chances of being more career-focused increase. That’s why the Knicks legend asked his son and ways they will keep their communication strong.

“I feel like Instagram keeps everyone connected. Instagram like a whole another world.” After this, Kiyan expressed how he and his father actually converse using social media as a tool. “But yeah, especially me and you definitely keeps us connected, like just with the videos getting a laugh out of the video, something we can connect on.”

Even the 18-year-old advocates using short-form content on Instagram as a means to stay connected with his parents. After all, he knows the real sacrifices his parents have put in. La La once proudly shared how “I schedule everything around my son.” Whether it’s birthdays or basketball games, nothing takes priority. Meanwhile, Melo showed it by retiring from the league in his 19th year, even though there was a chance to continue to hit the 20th year. “I always told him when you get to high school, I’m retiring no matter what’s happening. His freshman year was my 19th year,” Melo shared during 7PM in Brooklyn podcast.