Reese Witherspoon talks how having kids changed her life
Reese Witherspoon is opening up on one of the most important aspects of her life -- motherhood.
The actress, who has three children -- Ava, 20, Deacon, 15, and Tennessee, 7 -- shared a YouTube video on Thursday describing some of the hardest, best and most gratifying parts of being a mom.
"I got pregnant when I was 22 and delivered when I was 23 -- to be totally honest, it was scary," she says in the video. "I was scared.
"I didn't know what it was going to do to my job or my career," she continued. "Your entire life will change. Everything you believe, every piece of food you eat, every piece of independence you have."
She pointed out different emotions women sometimes experience when they have children for the first time.
"You can't go out without thinking of another person. You can't go get your groceries without thinking about another person. You don't think about whether you're cold or hot; you think about your kid and whether they're cold or hot," she shared.
However, she admits that the relationship "evolves from there" as the children grow older.
Although she said that everyone's experiences with children is different, she is thrilled she had her kids earlier in her life.
"I find that having little kids is more physical, and it's just really hard on your body, so I am glad that I had kids kind of young," she shared. "I had one at 23, one at 27 and then again at 37. And, oh my god, having a baby at 37 was so much harder. This is just me being real."
She also said she totally respects anyone who chooses not to have children.
"I love it when people make that decision because they're being so honest and so much of society doesn't accept the idea that there's just different ways to do things, and if you don't want to be a mom, that's totally fine," she said.
The actress also spoke about all of the important factors to consider when thinking about having children, pointing out how important her support system was when she had Ava in 1999.
"I had sort of an unconventional career so I didn't have to be in an office," she began. ""When I had my first kid, Ava, my mom didn't live in the same town as me, I don't have any sisters, I really didn't know anyone because I was really young and had just moved to Los Angeles."
The actress said she found a group of women whom she "really depended on" by joining a yoga group.
"They have been some of my greatest supporters," she said about the women.
"Beyond money, beyond being ready in your career and your life, it's really about, is your support system good? Is your family structure good?" she said. "Have you talked about it with your partner? Have you thought about it logistically? Like, how am I going to make this work?"
She also encouraged those who want to embrace motherhood to go for it.
"If you want to be a mom and that's important to you, you should have every right to do that," she said. "Don't put it off because of all the things that seem like a barrier. You're going to figure it out."
