Essence Atkins and her ex-husband, Jaime Mendez, are model representations of co-parenting gone right. The veteran actress and her former spouse share a son, Varro Blair Mendez, together and often give outward support to each other.
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Essence often comments on her husband’s social media platforms to show support for his parenting skills. The celebrity mom, of course, also dotes on her son via her Instagram page, which gets positive responses from her ex.
Atkins commented on the source of her and Jaime’s successful co-parenting journey during a 2019 interview with xoNecole.
“I’m grateful to have a partner, even though we’re not married any longer, who’s supportive,” the veteran actress shared. “My ex-husband is really involved and is a great parent to our son,” Essence added. “I’m really fortunate that he works with me really well in terms of making sure that our son has stability and consistency even though my life isn’t very stable,” the celebrity continued.
“I know that a lot of single moms are truly doing it on their own, and I can say that I do have help, and I have help in someone who loves my son as much as I do. There’s a lot of grace I have to give myself when I miss stuff. Being away from my son, I miss certain milestones and big moments in his life, and I can get buried in guilt sometimes about that.”
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Essence Atkins and Jaime Mendez were married for seven years before finalizing their divorce in 2016. The celebrities welcomed their son in 2011. Essence Atkins has commented on her life as a working mom, which often includes extended time away from her son, during several interviews.
“There are definitely moments where I beat myself up about not being able to be there physically,” Atkins admitted during her interview with xoNecole. “But I have also learned in this journey of being away from him, working on Ambitions in particular, how resilient he is and how okay he is,” the actress shared with the media source.
“I think that, ultimately, kids are incredibly adaptable and as long as they know that they’re loved, they really can flourish,” Essence said of her busy schedule. “[My son] knows that he’s loved.”
Photo: Essence Atkins/Instagram
