Christie Brinkley shares how she keeps her three adult children coming home

Christie Brinkley never really had to face an empty nest.

The actress and supermodel stars opposite Steve Guttenberg in "American Summer," a feel-good tribute to simpler times and family connections.

The 72-year-old told Fox News Digital those themes aren't just on-screen.

They're values she's embraced in her own life, creating a home her three adult children can still return to.

The movie, which hit theaters Sept.

4, follows Guttenberg's character as he looks back on a formative childhood summer filled with baseball, first love and the disappearance of his U.S.

Army father overseas.

CHRISTIE BRINKLEY HAS FANS MISTAKING SUPERMODEL FOR DAUGHTER IN NEW PHOTOS "I have always been all about family , so I have built my life in a way that my kids. ...

I want them independent," Brinkley said.

"I want them out there living, doing whatever, but they always tend to come home on weekends, holidays.

We all really are big on being together, and I love that.

"It's funny because a lot of moms on Instagram will ask me, 'How do you get your kids to come home so often? Mine are off and about,'" the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover girl shared.

"And I think it's just to always let them know they're always welcome back.

They can bring their friends, that kind of thing." The supermodel is often photographed alongside her three grown children — Alexa Ray Joel, 40, Jack Paris Brinkley-Cook, 31, and Sailor Brinkley-Cook, 28 — whether they're walking red carpets or stepping out in coordinated looks.