Yahoo Lifestyle "I Was Not The Kind Of Mother That I Wished That I Had Been To My Children": 19 Famous People Who Opened Up About The Struggles Of Parenting
When he's not saving the seas as Aquaman, Momoa is a father to two children. In April 2023, he told Men's Health about what he aims to teach his kids.
"There’s nothing worth doing if it’s not gonna be hard, and it’s not gonna be a struggle," he said. "It’s okay to fall. You fall, you get back up and do it again. [Kids] wanna be perfect, and they’re afraid; they think if you fall, it’s bad. But I’m like, 'No, falling is great, man. Falling is great' cause you’re gonna succeed if you keep doing it.'"
As a father, Momoa also hopes to continually think about how he can best show up for his son. In 2020, the actor reflected on how being raised without a father in the home affected his own parenting. "I didn't know what it takes to be a dad," he told InStyle. "And I don't want to just tell my son, 'Because I said so.' I really want to connect, and I want him to be vulnerable and open."
Kim has shared many thoughts about her experiences as a mother, but one of the most memorable was what she said on the On Purpose With Jay Shetty podcast in May 2023.
"Parenting is the thing that has taught me the most about myself," she told Shetty. "It has been the most challenging thing. There are nights I cry myself to sleep. Like, holy shit, this fucking tornado in my house. Like, what just happened?"
"Parenting is really fucking hard," she continued. "That's the only way I can describe it. It is the most rewarding job in the entire world. It is. There is nothing that can prepare you. ... I don't care how long you wait. I don't care what you're waiting for. You are never prepared."
However, Kardashian wouldn't have it any other way. "You will figure it out," she said, adding, "And it will make you so proud of yourself that you figured it out and that you got through the day."
Academy Award-winning actor and activist Jane Fonda has achieved much throughout her career, but she acknowledges that parenting has been a challenge for her. In a CNN interview with Chris Wallace in 2023, Fonda said she initially "didn't know" how to parent her three children.
"I was not the kind of mother that I wished that I had been to my children," the actor told Wallace. "I have great, great children — talented, smart. And I just didn't know how to do it." She continued, "I've studied parenting, and I know what it's supposed to be now. I didn't know then. So I'm trying to show up now."
4.Chrissy Teigen
You may know Chrissy Teigen for her work as a model or for her line of kitchenware, but the star is also well-known for being vocal about her role as a mother. Sharing four children with her husband, Teigen has frequently shared her experiences with motherhood on her social media platforms, including having an abortion in 2020.
“Two years ago, when I was pregnant with Jack, John and my third child, I had to make a lot of difficult and heartbreaking decisions. It became very clear around halfway through that he would not survive, and that I wouldn’t either without any medical intervention,” Teigen told the Hollywood Reporter in 2022.
“Let’s just call it what it was: It was an abortion,” Teigen continued. “An abortion to save my life for a baby that had absolutely no chance. And to be honest, I never, ever put that together until, actually, a few months ago.”
More recently, in June, Teigen made headlines for expressing her disapproval of her own children joining social media. “I know I absolutely want to delay social media,” she said. "I would say [first] get through high school. That would be my absolute dream.”
Considering that Teigen uses social media pretty frequently, many were surprised. She later explained that she wouldn't want her kids to think that “everybody’s lives are beautiful and perfect and filtered” before they even have “the brain capacity to understand how fake all this bullshit is,” Fortune reported.
5.Angelina Jolie
The Oscar-winning actor, who has six children, shared her perspective on parenting with People in 2021.
"I'm very honest with my kids. And I'm very human with my kids," Jolie told the outlet. "We're supposed to help them figure out who they are. And you can't figure out who they are if you don't enthusiastically develop with them."
Jolie has also had time to reflect on the ways she can improve. "I'm not a perfect parent by any means," she added. "Every day I feel like I'm more aware of everything I don't do right. And I'm pretty tough on myself, because I feel often, 'Am I doing the right thing? Did I say the right thing?'"
6.Henry Golding
In a 2021 interview with USA Today, the Crazy Rich Asians actor shared the difficulties of returning to work after taking care of his children. "It was heartbreaking, and of course, you yearn for them," he said. "But you know this is where I have to be. I have those college fees to look forward to paying, so I’ve got to make sure I put in my hard work when I can."
"Selflessness is something that really comes to the forefront. You're not living for yourself anymore. It's not your dreams and your goals. Yes, you take those into account, but right now, it's making sure that she has everything that she wants and is able to do everything and anything that she puts her mind to," he added.
7.Keke Palmer
The Nope actor has made it clear that she’s loving motherhood. However, in a recent Instagram post, Palmer also revealed one of the downsides of parenting in the spotlight, particularly "in the social media comments."
Palmer noted that people are constantly suggesting how she can do her motherly duties, recommending everything from breastfeeding to baby formulas to a specific kind of car seat. "It gets to the point where I don't think people realize there is privilege in what they're asking," she said.
"Every mom can't breastfeed," she said. "Every mom doesn't want to breastfeed. Every mom can't afford formula. Everyone can't afford the car seat that said it was 555," she continued. "Y'all gotta stop with that."
"If you wanna help somebody pray for them, wish them well, show 'em love," she suggested. "Don't go on their page using some privileged measure of what it takes to be a good mom. 'Cause you know what it really takes to be a good mom? Loving your child."
8.Brenda Song
You might know Brenda Song from Dollface or The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. Beyond her acting career, she has two kids and welcomed her first child in 2021.
In 2022, Song told E! News about her journey into parenthood. "I feel like I've learned so much about myself," she said. "I've really learned to let go of a lot of things. I've learned to loosen up."
The actor continued, "It's, like, really taught me to be like, 'You know what? Things are just going to happen the way that they're going to happen and I have to let go of that control, or I'm just going to drive myself crazy and never sleep again.'"
She added that parenting has shifted her mindset to one where she’s more comfortable with "not knowing everything."
"I'm used to being like, 'I can do everything on my own. Don't worry about it,'" she explained. "But now, I just had to learn to step back and know that it's okay to not know everything. And to not have to do everything. Because I think that was one of the things that made my fourth trimester probably worse, was the anxiety of, 'Oh my God, am I doing enough? Am I a good mom?'"
9.Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
You might not have expected it, but The Rock has three daughters. People reported that the actor revealed his thoughts on what being a "girl dad" is like while on The Drew Barrymore Show. "It's the greatest thing ever," he said. "I feel like I had a real complicated relationship with my dad. So I came in hard-wired into the world, complicated relationship with my dad, led me to the best of his capacity, which was limited and I understand that. But my mom was such a strong influence, and I had all these women who raised me who were strong women."
Speaking to People in 2021, the actor shared that having daughters has made him more "tender and gentle."
"You can be wired, as a lot of fathers are, to fix things. Just having an expanded capacity to listen and be more tender and gentle really gave me that ability to solve whatever the issue is, but with them compared to for them," he said at the time.
10.Shay Mitchell
Another cast member of Dollface, Mitchell is a mother of two and often shares cute moments with her children on social media. However, the actor has also candidly discussed the challenges of parenthood, including her experience with prepartum depression.
In an announcement from her collaboration with Pampers, the actor said, “I’m learning that while motherhood is the most incredible experience, it’s not always easy, and I know I can be really hard on myself sometimes.”
She went on to say, “I often worry about being ‘good enough’ as a mom, and if I listen to myself for too long, it can take away from the joy of the moment. So, I’m striving to be kinder to myself and to try to see myself through my daughter’s eyes.”
What got Mitchell through that difficult period in her life, she explained, was her strong support system. “Fortunately for me, I had a really good circle of friends and family and, of course, my partner who did just that," she said.
11.Jennifer Lawrence
The No Hard Feelings and Hunger Games actor gave birth to her son in 2022. In December of that year, as part of a conversation for Variety's "Actors on Actors," Lawrence shared her anxieties about motherhood with Viola Davis.
"Every day of being a mom, I feel awful. I feel guilty," she told Davis. "I'm playing with [my son] and I'm like, 'Is this what he wants to be doing? Should we be outside? We're outside. What if he's cold? What if he's going to get sick? Should we be inside? Is this enough? Is this developing your brain enough?'"
12.Mindy Kaling
After welcoming her third child in February, the actor and producer has been juggling a notably busy schedule. A few months ago, Kaling got candid with WSJ magazine and opened up about her experiences.
At the time of the interview, she was producing Never Have I Ever and explained that she'd usually “get up between 3:15 and 4:15 a.m. and then just sit there with my worries until I hear my kids stirring.”
“In terms of my career, I’m a single mom,” she said. “I’m the breadwinner in the house. So there’s a lot of panic that comes with that, the buck stops with me, I have to earn money for them. Having kids is everything — wanting to be a good role model and wanting to produce content that doesn’t embarrass them and makes them proud is another layer to my life and a complication that I welcome.”
13.Mila Kunis
You might have noticed that the actor largely stepped back from acting for a few years, and that's because she took some time off to be with her two children. And while she’s been relishing family time, she also hasn't hesitated to share her "parenting fails."
"There was a little kid in my kid's preschool that wasn't very kind and pushed my daughter," Kunis said on Ellen's Mom Confessions series. "My daughter came back and was like, 'Such and such little kiddo pushed me.' And I instinctually said, 'Did you push her back?' And my daughter's like, 'No!'"
After telling her daughter to "push her back next time and say no thank you and walk away," the actor remembered "seeing Ashton's face and he's like, 'No!'"
"I'd say that that's a parenting fail," she said with a laugh.
14.Rihanna
The award-winning artist and beauty mogul definitely sparked some chatter when her pregnancy was first announced, and it appears she’s been thoroughly enjoying the journey of motherhood.
"It is crazy. It is amazing. ... It's weird. It's all of those things, all at once," she said about being a parent in an interview with Extra in 2022. "The best feeling, the best. The most love I've ever known. I can't describe it. It's new. It's fascinating. Every step, every facial expression, every new milestone. I love it," she said.
"I thought I was getting better at patience, but this will sit you down," she added. "You are forced to be patient as a mom, as a parent, just in general. Your tolerance level goes down, but your patience goes up, if that makes any sense."
15.John Cho
The actor known for his work on Star Trek and Harold & Kumar has two children. Sharing his experiences with fatherhood in a video with Yahoo! News in 2022, Cho kept it lighthearted. "How would I describe my parenting style? Flawless. I make zero mistakes," he joked.
He went on to explain that although he's just "muddling my way through it," he tries to provide his kids a safe space.
"We're trying to listen and try and give them space to be who they are. I don't know if I even have a philosophy," he added. "But I got to give most of the credit to my wife."
16.Jessica Alba
Beyond acting and running a beauty company, Alba has three daughters, so she's learned a few things when it comes to taking care of her kids.
In an interview with SheKnows in 2023, Alba told the outlet her perspective on motherhood. “When they’re little, you’re just trying to keep them alive,” she said. “It’s more about just cuddling them and nurturing them, and making sure they get their sleep and they get fed. That’s pretty much it. When they get older, they’re much more nuanced."
Alba also acknowledged that she still has things to work on. “I, at least, set the bar that I’m not perfect,” she added. “And I’m a work in progress just like they are. And they can cut me some slack when I don’t always get it right.”
17.Jimmy Fallon
You may be aware that the late night TV host has two daughters since he's frequently shared photos of them on his social media. As a father, Fallon seems to be enjoying every step of the way.
After welcoming his second child in 2014, Fallon told People, "This has been the craziest year of my life," adding, "but being a father is the most exciting, amazing thing that ever happened to me. And everything’s going well on the show. My life has never been this cool.”
Fallon also shared that he’s aware of how being in the spotlight can impact his parenting. Therefore, he makes it a priority to teach his kids the value of hard work.
"I didn't get them tickets to see [Taylor Swift]," he told E! News in May. "I said, 'No, you have to earn certain things. I can't just do this for you.' I want them to be as normal and less bratty as they can possibly be. And they're the nicest kids."
18.Olivia Munn
The actor made headlines when she welcomed her first child in 2021. Since then, she's enjoyed spending quality time with her family.
While motherhood has been a joy, she admitted it hasn't been an easy journey. According to E! News, Munn found it difficult to see others "snapping back" to their pre-pregnancy bodies before she did. "I was watching other moms have their snapback within months and wondering why it wasn't happening for me."
"I realized it's just gonna be different for me and that eventually, one day, I'd slow snap it back," she added. "I have more energy now, too...that was more important for me to get back. And thankfully it's back."
19.And finally, Hilary Duff
With four children, the How I Met Your Father actor is no stranger to motherhood and has learned a lot over the years. Yet, there are still times when Duff can completely miss the mark.
“I’ve had to get really good at being disappointed in myself,” she said in a 2023 interview with Shape. She later recounted an incident involving her son's soccer tournament, explaining that due to missing a group text from the team parents, her son ended up wearing the wrong uniform color.
“But I have two other kids to deal with and three dogs, (Matthew) was out of town, I had just thrown my mom her 70th birthday, and I was a little hungover,” she explained.
“I think that when you have a baby, you’re just wired to think that you are loaded with all the answers and all of the capability,” she said. “We’re still just human beings.”
What do you think? Let me know in the comments!
