In an interesting article from The Toronto Sun on celebrity mothers,Gwen unsurprisingly has been included in the paper’s list of Celebrity ”SuperMoms”(I personally think she should be Number 1 on the list,she is one of the most devoted Moms ever,celebrity or not.)
If there’s one thing we love more than spending time with our own mothers, it’s observing those in Hollywood.
If she’s not praised for having a tight tummy only six weeks after giving birth, then she’s condemned for letting her daughter get into such a party-hard paparazzi mess.
In the last couple years, mommy life in the limelight has never been so fawned over.
Whether you’re four-year-old Suri frolicking in high heels alongside actor mom Katie Holmes or Mohawk-sporting Kingston attached to singer Gwen Stefani, people are talking about you, and not just on the playground.
According to one pop culture expert, this celebrity culture is distracting us from what it means to be a “real” mom, which involves juggling paid work and family – without the glamour.
“We see these women as attractive and active — able to do it all and still look great: our idea of the perfect mom,” says Patrizia Albanese, who teaches sociology at Ryerson University. “But what we must understand is that these women are privileged, and the reality is that many families are struggling in Canada.”
And while everyday moms may be inclined to read up on what hobbies the Jolie-Pitt kids are enrolled in, it’s important not to feel that we have to measure up to these models, says Albanese. “Celebrity moms have access to many more resources than ‘average’ moms.”
Sure, the Beckham boys probably have the best soccer coaches, but don’t sweat it.
Kathy Lynn, a Vancouver-based author and speaker on parenting, says it shouldn’t matter whether families are all over the tabloids or not.
“A mom is a mom, and children are children, regardless of who they are, celebrity or not,” she says.
Malia Ann and Sasha Obama may be the American First Lady’s girls, but Mrs. O should treat them like regular kids by making them do chores and having fun with them. Most importantly, says Lynn, is to “give them unconditional love.”
Thanks to the sky-rocketing popularity of celebrity culture, we know as much about offspring as their mothers. Is this providing a healthy role model to us regular folk? According to Lynn, “The best celebrity mothers are the ones who you don’t know if they have children or not. They don’t parade their children around as an appendage. They go to work, and then they go home.”
But there are definitely challenges to having children raised in Hollywood, and Lynn says the most important thing to do is allow your children to just be kids – regardless of being in the limelight. “Be a mom, have fun, respect them, love them.”
And while Lindsay Lohan and Miley Cyrus may not be the girls you want setting examples for your own, Lynn says kids will idolize who they want to, and all we can do is model a more appropriate way of parenting, and be the best at it.
“We as a society need to understand that a child of a celebrity is no different than any other child. They are all kids.”
Supermoms and Momzillas
BEST:
1. Michelle Obama
During her husband’s 2008 presidential campaign, Mrs. O spent two days a week on the road, devoting the rest at home with her daughters.
2. Octomom
Nadya Denise Doud-Suleman Gutierrez made headlines when she had octuplets, and recently spoke to Oprah about her struggles. She came clean that she’d made some bad choices and gained respect.
3. Gisele Bundchen
The Brazilian supermodel birthed son Benjamin Rein in a warm water bath shortly before launching Seeja, a cosmetics line meant to empower young women.
4. Demi Moore
The 47-year-old mom not only looks amazing, she left Hollywood to raise her family and never flaunted her kids to the media. And she remains friends with ex-husband Bruce Willis.
5. Gwen Stefani
The rock star mama gets snapped by the paps enjoying quality time with her sons rather than showing them off, sharing the parenting load with her hubby.