OJ Simpson has high praise for his kids JUSTIN and SYDNEY, because they haven't turned into the wild children the tabloids expected them to become.

Speaking on news show DATELINE to mark the 10th anniversary of the murder of his wife and their mother NICOLE, Simpson told Americans to stop worrying about his son and daughter.

The Naked Gun actor, who stood accused for the murder of Nicole and her lover, is feeling particularly proud because 18-year-old Sydney has just graduated high school and is heading for a top university.

Simpson says, "I would say this to America, 'You better hope your kids end up like my kids... I have two terrific kids. They seem well-adjusted, they're smart.'

"My daughter graduated without getting, to my knowledge, tattoos or unusual piercings and she got into a fine university."

Simpson insists he never discusses his ex-wife's death with his kids.

He adds, "Nicole will come up in conversations. We may be somewhere and I'll tell some story about their mother and we always honour her birthday.

"But kids don't look back... you don't know psychologically what might surface years from now but, at this point, they seem to have handled it pretty well.

It's something we don't talk about. I think I've spent enough money to get the advice of some of the best child psychologists in the country and they all say, `When the kids are ready to talk about it, they'll talk about it.'"

07/06/2004 09:26