Jada Pinkett-Smith is an A-list celeb and mother of two. The ‘Madagascar 3’ recently sat down with the Daily Herald to talk about her life that is constantly in motion.
Balancing family and career.
“I think learning to put myself as a priority really helped me learn how to balance. For me, being able to take care of myself really gives me the rejuvenation to take care of others. If I’m not happy and I’m not doing well, no one else is.”
Lessons from Willow,11, and Jaden,13.
“My kids have taught me a lot about peace and honesty. Kids are very honest. My kids have taught me how to listen and how to trust.”
What makes her a good mom.
“I have to wait for my kids to get older for them to identify if I’ve been a good mother or not! I think I have a great relationship with my kids. I’m very honest with them. I tell them when something is my fault. We’re not perfect. There’s no manual, we’re learning as we go. So I’m busting the myth of saying ‘I’m your mother and I know everything.’ No, I’m your mother and you’re my child and we’re going to create a relationship where we can be partners on sharing a life together.”
Advice for mothers with daughters.
“We are told that we can’t have ownership of ourselves until we’re 18. And then we’re pushed out into the world at 18 to figure out how to use that ownership versus helping our daughters understand how to have that ownership while they’re still in the house. So by the time they’re 18, they’ve got it. It’s also about knowing how to set up boundaries. I always tell Willow, as you get older you get more access to more freedom because you’re more knowledgeable.”
Word of wisdom for career moms.
“[The essence of balancing a career with family life is] just being able to really understand how important keeping one’s passion alive is. I think that once we do it, we realize how much it feeds the spirit. And then we have so much more to give to our children and our families versus feeling like we’re stealing something from them. Every last one of us knows the importance of taking those hours and those moments for ourselves that we usually won’t because of our own guilt. It’s not about hours. It’s not about time. It’s about spirit. You do what you need to do to keep your spirit alive.”
