It’s so much fun to fawn over a famous mom’s new baby or picture-perfect nursery on social media. But you know what’s even better? Celebrities who are willing to give honest accounts of the challenges of motherhood — something that’s especially important right now, when moms are more stressed than ever.
This week, lots of celebrities are in the headlines, talking about the difficulties that we’re all facing. And sure, it’s true that they have nannies and house cleaners that probably make the day-to-day work of raising kids a bit easier. But it’s also so refreshing to see people being real about parenting. Here are 3 of our favorites from this week.
Gwen Stefani Struggles With Mom Guilt
There’s No Doubt that Gwen Stefani was a cool-girl icon to the generation that is now parenting. So it made me feel a little better to know that even a powerful, beautiful business woman like Stefani struggles with mom guilt.
The singer, who is now 51, is mom to three boys, ages 7, 12 and 14.
“I think it’s really hard to do it all, and impossible to do. And every single day … I feel guilty,” she said on the podcast “The First One,” according to Today. “Yesterday, I was so guilty because I had a day off with the kids and then I got on a Zoom about doing a video or something, and it was going on and on for like an hour and a half, and I was like, ‘What am I doing? I’ve got to get off the Zoom, this is my day with my kids. Like, so much guilt all the time.”
Stefani also summed a struggle that so many moms understand:
“It’s hard to be in the moment, too. You’re with your kids and you want to be doing your thing, and then when you’re doing your thing, you want to be with your kids. It’s hard.”
Emma Roberts Tells Moms To Trust Themselves
Actress Emma Roberts has only been a famous mom for two months, but she’s already figured out one of the most important pieces of motherhood: trusting your intuition.
“It’s not something you’ll always feel like you’re getting right, but you will get better every day,” she said, according to US Weekly. “When in doubt, just love your child and yourself.”
Roberts also says that becoming a mom has made her appreciate her own mother even more, something a lot of us can relate to.
“I kiss the ground she walks on!” Roberts said.
Kristin Davis Gets ‘Emotional’ About Motherhood
Actress Kristin Davis became famous as Charlotte, the domestic goddess on Sex and the City. But in real life the mom to two children, 2 and 9, knows that motherhood is never picture-perfect.
“Lately, there’s a lot going on, so I feel kind of emotional,” Davis told SELF.
Davis shared her nighttime routine, which includes putting her toddler to bed, then reading with her 9-year-old daughter. They try to avoid the news, which Davis says can be hard to process this year. Then, Davis waits in her daughter’s room until she falls asleep.
“This is the whole problem, and it’s my fault. Totally my fault. I’m so tired. She wants me to hold her hand, so I hold her hand and I fall asleep,” Davis said. That’s when she weighs the common parenting dilemma: sleep or alone time?
“That would be the only ‘me’ time: If I’ve woken myself back up and cleaned the kitchen, then maybe I could watch something before I fall asleep,” she said.
Ultimately, Davis tells herself the same thing many of us moms do: “I’m just doing the best I can do. You have to just sometimes remind yourself every day, I am absolutely doing the best that I can do, and that’s really all you can do, right? Nobody’s going to be perfect.”
