Celebrity Moms On the Best Way Motherhood Changed Them

Celebrities may lead a slightly (or vastly!) different lifestyle than the average person, but one experience unites us: motherhood. Moms are still moms, no matter what they do for a living, and motherhood changes each of us in immeasurable ways. It brings out qualities we never knew we had, and skills we never knew we needed.

When we bring a life into the world, suddenly something shifts. It’s no longer completely about us. There are actual humans relying on us now, for everything — not only the day-to-day minutiae, but the lofty task of shaping them into caring and responsible adults. Regardless of who we are, motherhood makes us keenly aware that we’ve been tasked with something bigger than ourselves.

SheKnows spoke to 12 celebrity moms about the best ways that motherhood has changed them, and their thoughtful answers did not disappoint. From becoming more focused and present, to changing priorities and perspectives, to finding humility and patience they didn’t know existed within themselves, these famous moms are totally relatable as they talk about the amazing metamorphosis from woman to mom.

Eva Longoria Bastón

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“You are usually the center of your universe until your child is born. And then you’re like, ‘Oh, okay, he is the center of my universe now.’ He takes precedence over everything. And he is my priority. He dictates my schedule. He dictates my work, my jobs. And it’s made me a better human, being a mother to Santi.”

Eva is mom to one son, Santiago.
Jeannie Mai

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“Motherhood has made me more present. My daughter changes so much every day — today, she just started actually open-mouthed laughing where it’s like this open mouth and it’s like a little giggle. But it’s not there yet. If I wasn’t paying attention, I would miss that. And I wasn’t present before; I’ll be honest. I was way more in a rush.”

Jeannie is mom to daughter Monaco.
Kelly Rowland

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“[It made] me more patient. I thought I had no patience when I had my son Titan seven years ago. I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m definitely not going to have another one. All I have patience for is maybe one… until I just had this abundance of patience and I said, OK, it’s time for another and I think I’m ready.’ So I did. And now I’ve got even more patience. Does that mean I’m supposed to have a third? I don’t know. You have to ask me in a couple of years, but I know I’m just in love with them right now.”

Kelly is mom to two sons, Titan and Noah.
Brooklyn Decker

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“It made me live in complete service [to] other humans. I think our purpose is to really live to serve others — our community, our family our friends. And that’s really hard to do until you’re actually put in a situation where it’s called upon. And motherhood for me was that situation…. It changed my perspective of what the meaning of life was, and I’m really grateful for that.”

Brooklyn is mom to son Hank and daughter Stevie.
Bryce Dallas Howard

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“It’s really humbled me. I have very strong self-esteem and confidence and always felt like someone who was like, ‘Oh, I’m the person that you can rely on, I don’t need anyone to help me.’ And that changed instantly when I had kids.”

Bryce is mom to daughter Beatrice and son Theodore.
Tamron Hall

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“It’s forced me to be more present at home, and away from work — leaving and learning the separation. Because I now have a three-year-old who notices when I’m on my phone, who notices when I’m not paying attention … and he’s very aware that the phone takes away from him. And it has required me to be present.”

Tamron is mom to son Moses.
Christina Milian

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“I’m very responsible with my decisions in life, whether it’s how I eat things that are going to make a difference for myself and that can make a difference for my children and their lifestyle. Let’s put away the iPads. Get off the phone a little bit more because when you don’t have kids, at least for me, my life was all through my phone. When you have kids, you make sure that you live a more peaceful life and a healthier life.”

Christina is mom to daughter Violet and sons Isaiah and Kenna.
Elisabeth Röhm

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“I didn’t realize how much I was capable of loving somebody and no matter how difficult teenagers can be or whatever is happening, I just love her more every day. And I think that’s incredibly humbling. I look at my own mom who I loved more than life itself, but nothing compares to how I love my daughter.”

Elisabeth is mom to daughter Easton August.
Garcelle Beauvais

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“I think I’m more confident because I have to take care of other people. I think I can really guard them well. When it comes to me, I’m still trying to figure out what my boundaries are and how to tell people. But when it comes to them, it’s a no brainer. I can do that.”

Garcelle is mom to three sons, Oliver, Jaid, and Jax.
Camila Alves McConaughey

Image Credit: Xavier Collin/Image Press/MEGA

“[Motherhood] has completely changed my priorities in life, hands down. I think that once you become a mother, all the things that you used to worry, stress about, focus on, let take over your day and your emotions — they go away and you get real about what’s really important, what you really need to accomplish, and having more joy in your life.”

Camila is mom to daughter Vida, and sons Levi and Livingston.
Allyson Felix

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“Becoming a mom has changed my motivation. I’ve always been a really competitive person and I’ve had this desire and drive to win. But when I became a mom, it kind of shifted. And it was really this process of wanting to teach my daughter what hard work looks like and overcoming adversity and giving her that real-life example that you can continue to achieve and go after your dreams when things are in the way.”

Allyson is mom to daughter Camryn.
Freida Pinto

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“It’s really given me a pause. I thought the pandemic gave me a pause, but motherhood gave me the real pause. It makes you really slow down and observe and relish every little thing. And not just little things about your baby — because of course you know every spot on their body, you know, every strand of hair, you notice everything — but that attention to detail has gotten me to pay just as much attention to every other detail around me, other people’s emotions. Adults, strangers, the barista at the coffee shop. And even though I felt that as a human, I was able to understand other people in a very beautiful way, motherhood has just amplified that and made it so much stronger.”

Freida is mom to son Rumi-Ray.