Any parent would tell you that having a child changes things forever – and we don’t just mean the lack of lie-ins…
Here, in celebration of the life-changing powers of parenthood, we’ve rounded up the best celebrity quotes about motherhood and what you learn from becoming a mum.
From gaining new respect for your body to realising that sweating the small stuff is pointless, here are the lessons that 10 of our favourite celebrity mothers have discovered since giving birth…
BEYONCÉ
Lesson: To really appreciate your body
‘Right now, after giving birth, I really understand the power of my body. I just feel my body means something completely different. I feel a lot more confident about it. Even being heavier, thinner, whatever. I feel a lot more like a woman. More feminine, more sensual. And no shame.’ – Beyoncé, speaking to Vogue in 2013.
KATE WINSLET
Lesson: That you can handle anything
‘There’s something really empowering about going, “Hell, I can do this! I can do this all!” That’s the wonderful thing about mothers, you can because you must, and you just DO.’ – Kate Winslet, speaking to E!’s Today show in 2014 [h/t Huffington Post]
MILA KUNIS
Lesson: That you’d do anything for your child
‘You think you know love – and I know people say this all the time – but the truest meaning of unconditional love is my child. I thought I loved Ashton. I thought I loved my parents, my dogs. I was like, “I know love”. It’s such a different aspect, though. It’s not like it’s greater or lesser. It’s just in a whole other field.’ – Mila Kunis, speaking on the Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2015 [h/t E! Online]
AMY ADAMS
Lesson: To live for the moment
‘I’m trying to be more present in each moment of my life. She [her daughter, Aviana] has taught me that.’ Amy Adams, speaking to Parade in 2010
BLAKE LIVELY
Lesson: To expect the unexpected
‘Having a baby is just living in the constant unexpected. You never know when you’re going to get crapped on or when you’re going to get a big smile or when that smile immediately turns into hysterics. It might be like living with a drug addict.’ – Blake Lively, speaking to the Los Angeles Times in 2015
DREW BARRYMORE
Lesson: To be a better person
‘My favourite thing about being a mom is just what a better person it makes you on a daily basis. Every morning when I wake her up, the end game is, “Can I get her to smile?” And that puts me in a good mood. It’s definitely a different way to live – and a much better one.’ – Drew Barrymore, speaking to Good Housekeeping in 2013
GWEN STEFANI
Lesson: To be selfless
‘[I thought] how I would fit him into my life? Would I be too self-obsessed to be able to care about him enough? I have a really extraordinary life and I obviously have a lot of passion about the things that I do. So I didn’t know if I could be selfless enough. But obviously I can! It’s the most amazing thing that’s ever happened to me.’ – Gwen Stefani, speaking to The Guardian in 2007
KEIRA KNIGHTLEY
Lesson: To not sweat the small stuff
‘Ultimately, as long as my kid is alright, everything is fine. I think motherhood puts everything into perspective, I really do.’ – Keira Knightley, speaking to The Telegraph in 2015
MICHELLE OBAMA
Lesson: To push yourself harder
‘For me, being a mother made me a better professional, because coming home every night to my girls reminded me what I was working for. And being a professional made me a better mother, because by pursuing my dreams, I was modelling for my girls how to pursue their dreams.’ – Michelle Obama speaking at the Let Girls Learn event in 2015
REESE WITHERSPOON
Lesson: To be the best ‘you’ you can be
‘Having kids made me clearer about who I was as a woman. I just wanted to exhibit good qualities for my daughter. I was a little competitive before I had kids – probably really competitive, to be honest. It really made me let go of that.’ – Reese Witherspoon, speaking to Elle in 2013
