Hilary Swank Would Like Less ‘Complaining’ About Parenthood, Please: ‘It’s Just So Much Good’
If there’s one thing about motherhood that Hilary Swank doesn’t like, it’s probably all the naysayers. The Million Dollar Baby star shares 11-month-old twins Aya and Ohm with husband Philip Schneider, and while it certainly has its challenges, you won’t find her complaining anytime soon.
On an appearance on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna on Thursday, Swank opened up about how she’s always wanted to be a mom. “Even when I was a little girl, I was like, ‘Yeah, I want to be a mom someday.’ But I also had this career that was like a baby to me that I wanted to give my all to,” the 49-year-old shared.
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Host Hoda Kotb, who also became a mom later in life, talked about what an “interesting, wonderful blessing” motherhood is.
“It absolutely is,” Swank agreed. “I don’t know, because we didn’t have them younger, so I don’t know what that would have been like then, but I think there is something — for me anyway — right now that I’m able to give my focus to them in a way that I wouldn’t have been able to at that point.”
“I can give my all to them because I’m in a blessed position that I can say, ‘Oh, I’m going to go back to work now.’ Or ‘I’m going to take this time off now.’” She added, “I’ve had the full first year with them.”
Despite recognizing her privileged position — being a famous actress, having lots of help and resources available that the average mom may not have — Swank still doesn’t tolerate people who harp on the lack of sleep or other challenges of parenthood.
Swank says she’s heard “a lot of complaining” about parenting. “Like, ‘Oh my God, your life gets kind of taken away. Gets hijacked until they get back in school,’” she said. “And I’m like, ‘Good. Hijack the heck out of it!'”
As a mom of three, I agree on some level. Your priorities do change after having kids, and it can be wonderful and amazing. But that doesn’t discount the fact that Swank has a number of benefits that make this easier, not least of which is the fact that her mom is a “present grandmother” who will stay with her for two weeks at a time to help with the twins. In a country that is quickly losing access to abortion, has no mandated paid family leave, and has astronomical childcare costs, telling parents never to complain about how incredibly challenging and difficult parenting is feels a little insensitive to me. Raising kids is hard, and parents have earned the right to complain a little about it. (And that doesn’t mean you love or value your kids any less!)
The important thing is to keep it in perspective. And focusing on the positive aspects of being a mom can help.
The Oscar winner said in the interview that having twins is “double the fun, double the joy, double the love.” She explained, “It’s just so much good in every day. I just love it so much.”
“It’s so much fun. It’s more fun than I ever imagined it would be,” Swank added.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight last month, the Ordinary Angels star revealed how she decided on her children’s unique names. “I met a Syrian refugee when I went to Lebanon, a young girl who… had been through so much,” Swank said. “She was so brave and so courageous and so full of light, especially under her circumstances and what they were, how they were living, where they were moving. My husband and I were like, ‘If we ever have a daughter, I think we should name her after Aya.’”
And for her son, Swank shared that Ohm is “considered the first universal sound and the sound that unites people,” which she believed “seemed fitting” for her baby boy.
“[Motherhood] is the most wonderful blessing and I’m so grateful for these two little miracles,” she added. “Every day is something new.”
These celebrity parents are on double duty!
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