9 Celebrity Moms Speak Truthfully About What It Means to Be a Single Parent

Many women might find themselves becoming single parents because of a split from their partner or just by choice. Despite all the hype around being a single mom, it takes a lot of effort and love to raise a child. Many celebrities who choose this lifestyle are deciding to talk about it openly, giving us insight into how things are for them.

1. Sandra Bullock

Sandra Bullock started the adoption process for her kids when she was still in a marriage with her ex-husband, Jesse James. Even though they ended things during the adoption process, this didn’t seem to stop Bullock from achieving her dreams of adoption, even if it meant that she was going to parent the kids without a partner.

Splitting up with her former husband and pursuing her dreams alone awakened the actress, and she realized that she didn’t need anyone else to make a family. “It’s just me,” she says when someone asks where the father is. “I go, ’Oh my god, I’m a single parent. With a child. How am I...,’ I felt less than. I felt, ’I’m not the complete package.’ And then I realized, this is the complete package.”

2. Olivia Wilde

After Olivia Wide broke up with her ex, she decided to take things into her own hands. They decided to split their parenting duties, but Wilde admits that taking care of the kids part-time, alone, is still difficult. Following their split, she said, “The only people who suffered were my kids.”

While they both try to prioritize the well-being of the children, Wilde said, “It’s tough, you know, reshaping a family is tricky. And the one benefit is it’s allowed for some really deep conversations with my kids about emotions and about happiness and about what family means and love. It’s actually allowed me to get to know them in a different way. My priority is them.”

3. Adele

Even though her divorce had a pretty rough effect on her life, she didn’t let herself get beat down. She explained the difficulties of running a successful career next to a home where the kids need to be provided for.

Adele opened up about the divorce and being a single parent, saying: “It’s a process: the process of a divorce, the process of being a single parent, the process of not seeing your child every single day wasn’t really a plan that I had when I became a mum.”

4. Charlize Theron

The Mad Max star always had a dream about adopting, and because of her previous struggles in life, she became a single mom when she adopted August and Jackson. Even though she clearly knew that she would be raising the 2 little girls alone, she kept going.

She talked about the adoption process and said, “It’s just the way things worked out. When you adopt, you have to do it unconditionally. I threw myself into the adoption process because I was convinced that I could fulfill the role of mother and give my children all the love and attention they need.”

5. Mindy Kaling

Mindy Kaling is the mother of 2 young children, but she has never really clarified the identity of their father. Instead, she talked about her experiences of being a single mom, including the fact that she couldn’t do it without the help of her friends and family.

She spoke on the topic, saying, “As a single mom, it really does take a village. Yes, I am the parent of my 2 children, but there are all these other caregivers in the form of family, friends, and nannies. I couldn’t do it without the village. Absolving myself of guilt for depending on others has been the biggest piece of advice that has helped me.”

6. Minnie Driver

Minnie Driver has been a single mom since the birth of her son. And she confesses that it’s been very challenging to fulfill her son’s every need alone, but it was totally worth the effort.

“There’s no amount of hassle that could be bigger than my love for Henry and the hilarity and joy that he has brought into my life.” She also mentioned that at the beginning, “If he was sleeping, I was trying to sleep, and when you’re breastfeeding, you’re the milk machine.”

7. Taraji P. Henson

Taraji P. Henson is the first to say that becoming a single mother is challenging. Although she is happy with how she has been able to raise her son Marcell, she claims that being a single parent frequently puts pressure on you to handle everything. “I think we try to do our best. And yes, we can do it all, but I wouldn’t wish being a single parent on my worst enemy. It is not easy.”

8. January Jones

Mad Men star, January Jones, has been pretty outspoken lately about not needing anyone else to raise her little boy. “It’s good to have strong women around a man. To teach him to respect women. This also means he doesn’t have a male in his life saying, ’Don’t cry,’ or ’You throw like a girl.’”

She also added, “I just don’t feel I need a partner. Do I want one? Maybe. But I don’t feel unhappy or lonely.”

9. Padma Lakshmi

When Padma Lakshmi, the host of Top Chef, gave birth to her daughter Krishna in February 2010, she kept the father’s identity a secret. Reports later revealed that the reality star’s ex-husband and Krishna’s father is Adam Dell.

Padma has been outspoken about her support for being a single mother, “It’s the only way of life I’ve known. I was raised by a single mom. I was told I couldn’t have children, so every day, I am kissing the sky with happiness about it.”

What is your advice on single parenting that you think might be useful to others?