Drew Barrymore has covered the February issue of More magazine where she has opened up about her new cosmetics ventures, motherhood and that tricky old millstone, whether women can or can’t have it all. For the record Barrymore still thinks that women can’t, have it all that is.
However Barrymore is a firm believer in going after what you really want. She tells the magazine,
“I do think that women can do everything they want to do … especially if they work hard enough at it. I don’t believe anything comes easy. You have to earn everything in life.”
For Barrymore, having it all has a different take on it than it once did. She has taken a backseat on her acting and producing and is instead focusing on her cosmetic company, Flower Beauty and on being the best mum that she can be to her two daughters, Olive, 2, and Frankie, 9 months.
For Barrymore, being there for her children is her number one priority.
“I didn’t really have parents, you know?” Barrymore, 39, told More, “And therefore the kind of parent I will be is a good, present parent.”
“In a way, maybe that was a detriment to my youth, but it’ll be the biggest asset to my adulthood.”
It’s a theme echoed by other celebrity parents, and we’ve gathered some of their best advice.
Drew Barrymore: “I didn’t really have parents, you know. And therefore the kind of parent I will be is a good, present parent.”
Diane Keaton: “Motherhood is the most completely humbling experience I’ve ever had. It puts you in your place, because it really forces you to address the issues that you claim to believe in — and if you can’t stand up to those principles when you’re raising a child, forget it.”
Elizabeth Banks: “Be open to any help. Many moms today feel they have to be super moms, while historically we’ve always had a village to pitch in. I think it’s really important to know when to ask for help.”
Ewan McGregor told Men’s Health magazine, “Pay attention: I recognize it can be boring to play with young children – to tell a story over and over again, let’s say – but the secret is being there,” Ewan said. “If you’ve made a decision to play with your children, then play with them. Don’t be looking through papers on your desk or sneaking off to the computer. Turn off your BlackBerry. Lose yourself in their world. Even if you do it for a short time, it will mean a lot to you and to them.”
Jennifer Garner told People magazine “I try really hard to put my phone down [ever since] my daughter pretended to take something out of one of her little purses and was like, ‘I’ve got an email – hang on one second.'”
Meryl Streep: “When your kids come home, they don’t necessarily want to talk to you. They just want to know you’re standing there, ready to talk.”
Michael J Fox (pictured with his wife, Tracy) told Reader’s Digest magazine: Readers Digest magazine: “Always be available to your kids. Because if you say, ‘Give me five minutes, give me ten minutes,’ it’ll be 15, it’ll be 20. And then when you get there, the shine will have worn off whatever it is they wanted to share with you. I’ve never gotten up to see something one of my kids wanted to show me and not been rewarded.”
Tina Fey: “You just have to go to sleep. There’s a strong desire to get stuff done and be an adult, but just go to bed. Blow off sending your family birthday cards or setting the table for Thanksgiving—just go to sleep whenever you can. I just go to bed all the time.”
