Entertainment
Tia Mowry's Most Honest Motherhood Moments Are So Real & So Refreshing
If there's one thing that makes you feel old, it's looking back at the leads of childhood shows and seeing them all grown up. Best known for her role as Tia Landry alongside her twin sister, Tamera, in the sitcom Sister, Sister, Tia Mowry might be all grown up with a family of her own now, but she's still out there dropping gems. In fact, Tia Mowry has some pretty honest motherhood moments and they really are a breath of fresh air to hear.
Everyone loves to hear stories of how couples met and fell in love. And maybe how Mowry met her husband, Cory Hardict, wasn't the most extravagant, but does love really have to be? According to MadameNoire, the couple met while Hardict was waiting for the bus. The sisters offered to give him a ride and although, as MadameNoire reported, he felt a little embarrassed, he took them up on the offer and his relationship with Mowry developed from there. The couple got married on April 20, 2008 in California.
The couple currently has two children together: Cree Taylor Hardict, born June 28, 2011, and a daughter born on May 5, 2018. Mowry hasn't yet shared her daughter's name, but she has shared plenty of photos with her baby girl since she arrived.
In fact, Mowry has made a habit of being honest about all aspects of motherhood, which fans greatly appreciate her for, so here are some highlights of her most honest moments so far.
When She Opened Up About Her Infertility Struggles
The gap between Mowry's two children is large at over six years and it's something that she addressed herself. While speaking to People at the First-Ever Life Hack Academy Live event, Mowry revealed that she and her husband struggled with infertility before conceiving their second child.
"I didn't think I'd be able to have a second child, and it's been over seven years since my first pregnancy," People reported Mowry as saying. "I put it off, but I did want to have another child."
Infertility is something that a lot of couples struggle with and it was undeniably brave of Mowry to open up about her experiences publicly.
When She Was Real About Motherhood's Emotional Aspects
When speaking with BET after the birth of her first child, Cree, Mowry shared a little about how emotional motherhood has been.
"I knew it would be emotional but didn’t know it would be this emotional. People always say you never know love until you have your own child and all of that is true," Mowry shared, according to BET, going on to add:
I’m so obsessed and involved with my son. I didn’t know I’d be this exhausted. I’m so sleep deprived. When I talk to other mothers about it they’re like, "Oh yeah, honey, and it doesn’t change. Your body just gets used to it."
And When She Opened Up About The Stress Of Working At The Same Time
Sometimes, moms are expected to downplay the struggles of pregnancy for other people's comfort, but Mowry didn't go that route. In the same interview with BET, when asked if it was stressful working on The Game and Tia & Tamera while pregnant, she got real. As she told BET:
Very. My mom and my aunties were shocked that I worked all the way up to when I went into labor. I went through a lot with this pregnancy. The baby was breech at one point, and I had a really bad case of nausea that landed me in the hospital.
Sharing experiences of difficult pregnancies can be hard, so you have to applaud Mowry for it.
When She Talked About Her Body Changes
Often, society expects moms to bounce back after giving birth — and quickly. The goal is to be the person you were nine months before, as if you had never been pregnant to start. It's an unrealistic expectation for many moms and when speaking to Self in 2016, Mowry opened up about just that:
I breastfed my son, and my boobs aren’t as perky as what they used to be. I have a little pooch after having my son, and I don’t mind discussing that. This is what it looks like after you have a baby. This is who I am, and I love it.
In a May 19 Instagram post, Mowry covered the topic again, posting a picture highlighting her postpartum body and attaching an encouraging caption for all the moms following her:
Ladies, it’s okay that our bodies are not PERFECT after our babies are born. Give your self time. Go at your own pace. Don’t allow people to put a time limit on YOUR body. You’ve just accomplished a miracle! #Love yourself, love your new body, embrace it.
When She Shared Her Fears Around Delivery
Giving birth can be frightening, whether it's a vaginal birth or a C-section, and it's totally unfair to expect moms (especially new ones) to not be nervous about it. But, what helps people work through their own nerves is hearing other people's stories.
In an interview with Parenting, Mowry shared her own fears:
I was scared half to death because I had a c-section. Just the thought of someone cutting into me freaked me out! However, I had an amazing doctor, Dr. Kumeitz, who has the sweetest, most calming spirit. I also had an amazing epidural. The shot hurt worse than the actual birthing process, so I was in luck!
Mowry went on to add that music helped make the experience special. "I don't usually listen to classical music but I did during my birthing experience," she shared with Parenting, "Pandora has an amazing list of songs. Even the doctors enjoyed the music!"
When She Talked About The Importance Of Caring For Yourself
Sometimes, it's easy to get caught up in a self sacrificial mode, especially in today's world when people are juggling multiple obligations. Vibe asked Mowry about the key to a work-life balance and she shared a bit of advice another writer-producer-mother gave her:
I will never forget being told by a woman that is a writer, producer and a mother as well. I admire her and asked ‘How do you do it?’ and she told me, ‘You have to take care of the goose, in order for the goose to lay the egg.’ So in order for you to be able to execute all of those different qualities as a woman and as a person, you have to take care of yourself.
It's such an important message, especially for newer moms who are still struggling to get down a system. Mowry added in the same Vibe interview, "It’s easy for us to feel guilty when we put ourselves first, but when this woman said it to me from this perspective, it was so clear and so true."
Mowry's honesty about her experiences, including the moments where she's had some struggles, makes her a real, honest voice that current or expectant mothers can turn to. It's clear that just as one mom offered some sage advice to her before, Mowry is now doing her best to pass it forward.
