I can’t even begin to fathom how difficult it is to be a mother. I’ll say it’s a thankless job that many women absolutely thrive in, and I’ll leave it at that. It should come as no surprise then that the passion and pressure which comes with being a mom makes for great horror content.
We see it time and time again in the genre, these powerful women who – for better or worse – are just trying to be the best mother they can be.
We’ve compiled a batch of these iconic moms. Some are in protection/survival mode, some are motivated by revenge, and some are just pure helicopter parents. But they’ve all got one thing in common… Maternal instinct.
Parents can often find themselves more distracted by their devices than their teens. This is especially true during the slow moments throughout the day. Slow moments are those moments where you can be with your thoughts and feelings. During these times, you may be tempted to pull out your phone to check email, read the news, or scroll through your Facebook feed.
By habitually reaching for devices during these moments of solitude, you miss out on valuable opportunities to know yourself better. You are also a model for your teen’s relationship with technology.
So what can you do?
Small changes towards being more mindful of your relationship with technology can improve the satisfaction and quality of your life as well as the life of your teen.
Being mindful can be as simple as focusing on your breath, noticing the sounds, smells, or what is going on in your body. Being mindful allows you to more clearly see the world around you, reduce stress levels, and develop resilience to life’s difficult moments. By practicing mindfulness, you become better Digital Mentors, modeling for kids how to give space to your inner experience. That ultimately leads to healthier relationships with others.
The satisfactions of solitude
First, it’s important to remember that we are all in this together. We live in a culture where a veil of productivity and successful “multitasking” is celebrated, and the draw of social connection through texting and online is hard to ignore.
As Markham Heid explains in his article for TIME, “Combine the sudden beep with the implicit promise of new social info, and you have a near-perfect, ignorable stimulus that will pull your focus away from whatever task your brain is working on.”
But in this attention economy, it is important to take time to slow down and be present with our own thoughts, without reaching for the distraction of technology. MIT researcher Sherry Turkle says that these moments of solitude allow us to know ourselves better, which is an important part of having fulfilling relationships with others. In “Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age” she says, “If we don’t have experience with solitude – and this is often the case today – we start to equate loneliness and solitude. This reflects the impoverishment of our experience. If we don’t know the satisfactions of solitude, we only know the panic of loneliness.”
In today’s hyperconnected world, Turkle says if we don’t teach our children how to be comfortable being alone, they will learn to be lonely and rely on the distraction of technology. Part of your role as an Emotion Coach and Digital Mentor is to model the importance of slow moments and to create space for difficult or uncomfortable emotions.
Experiencing your emotions
Sometimes uncomfortable emotions will rise to the surface in these moments of solitude. Reaching for devices when these emotions come up prevents you from experiencing the richness of the full human experience.
Brene Brown says the degree to which one is willing to feel difficult emotions is the degree to which one will experience happiness. If you prevent yourself from feeling down, you can also block yourself from feeling the delight of joy.
The act of noticing and embracing these small moments of emotions rather than giving in to the distraction enables you to know yourself better. Experiencing the range of emotions teaches you that you can self-soothe and that you are truly resilient.
By embracing your own resilience, you can be role models for your teens to do the same. You can start by being mindful.
What is mindfulness?
Simply put, mindfulness is the act of noticing your body, your thoughts, and your surroundings. Mindfulness is often explained using the four foundations.
Mindfulness of your body
Mindfulness of your feelings
Mindfulness of your consciousness
Mindfulness of how your mind operates
Mindfulness is about watching with curiosity about what’s going on inside of you. Below are three exercises to become more mindful.
Counting and noting
Find a comfortable spot and take 10 slow, deep breaths. Count each inhale and exhale. When you’ve reached 10, start again. Start by doing this for two minutes.
Mental Noting is an exercise where you give a one-word label to the thought or emotion you experience. This can assist you in recognizing habitual thought patterns. For example, if you are anxious about work, the simple label of “worry” can help bring awareness to your thoughts and release some of the tension in your body. In moments when your kids are stressed or upset, try this strategy with them.
Focus on the dishes
Challenge yourself, even in small ways to concentrate on doing one task at a time. Buddhist teacher Gil Fronsdal said, “If you are walking to the bus, just walk to the bus. If you are doing the dishes, just do the dishes.” Practice being present in the moment and encourage your teen to do the same.
Take a 5-minute break
When you come home at the end of the day, take five minutes to just sit and unwind. Don’t check your email or your Instagram. Check in with yourself.
Parents are more capable of navigating difficult conversations when they are in touch with themselves. If you don’t take time to decompress, you may reach for a device instead of engaging with your teen in a healthy way.
At the core of being a Digital Mentor is acknowledging and validating your teen’s emotions, letting them know their feelings are valuable indicators of what is going on inside them. If your teen comes to you with difficult emotions, practice having a stress-reducing conversation with them. It is important to empathize with your teen and support them to find their own answers.
With your new mindfulness practice, invite your teen to join you in new experiences. Try taking a different route to school with your teen, pause and notice the world around you, and ask your teen questions about what they are experiencing as they witness it. Take time to notice the leaves or look up at the clouds together.
Mindfulness leads to noticing the world through a new lens – a lens that leads to meaningful relationships with others, yourself, and most importantly, your teen.
As an Associate Producer at KPRC 2, I spend a lot of time fighting to make my community better and giving the voiceless a voice.
In my personal life, as a mother to an autistic child, I also work hard every day to give my speech-delayed son a voice.
There’s a side to raising a child with autism that a lot of people don’t see. As we close out Autism Awareness Month, I wanted to share our family’s story, and shine a light on how you can help families like ours.
We first became concerned about my son Noah at his third birthday party. It had become clear that something wasn’t right.
We gathered around to sing Happy Birthday, just as we had last the year before, when Noah began to cry and cover his ears. That alone wasn’t an indication that anything was wrong, but when my husband and I paired it with other recent behaviors, a pattern emerged.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, children should be able to have a conversation with you using at least two back-and forth exchanges by age 3. They should be able to ask who, what, when, where and why questions, and their speech should be understandable.
But our sweet boy had stopped making progress with speech. They say to not compare your child with others, but when we spoke with the other three-year-olds at Noah’s party, we couldn’t help but notice that he was behind.
His tantrums and outbursts were also becoming more intense and frequent. It would take both my husband and I long periods of time to calm him down.
After the party, my mother-in-law told me I could take him for a free behavioral assessment at our local school district, so I made an appointment to have him evaluated.
The appraisal staff asked me a series of questions and observed Noah moving about the room as he looked for the door to escape.
They asked me if Noah walked on his tippy toes. Yes, I said, all the time.
Does he pull you to what he wants instead of asking you? Yes, I said, as he pulled me to the door.
Does he flap his arms and hands? Yes, I said.
And finally, does he cover his ears when he hears loud noises? I thought back to his recent birthday party and said yes.
“Well,” a staff member said kindly, “these are all signs of autism.”
I didn’t want to believe it was true, but a neurologist later tested him and ruled out other possibilities. I had suspected that Noah might be autistic, but hearing it confirmed broke my heart. The future I had hoped for him seemed to pop like a bubble.
But there was hope, the staff said. There were ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) programs that I could enroll Noah in to help him speak. There were children just like Noah who grew up to live completely normal lives, they said.
So, we began the process of finding the right program for him. We tried one through the school district, but when he showed signs of regression after about three months, we decided to start over.
We then found Spectrum of Hope, and they seemed to check all the right boxes, so we enrolled him there.
He’s been in ABA therapy for about two years, and I can see he’s on an upward trajectory. His teachers work with him 5 days a week on improving his speech, regulating his emotions, and interacting with others. He also goes to a professional speech therapist once a week.
But for all our efforts, we still have our bad days.
Noah recently turned 5 years old, and he still can’t tell you how old he is when you ask. He can’t tell you who his favorite superhero is, or what he wants to be when he grows up. He still has problems sitting still, running away, and can violently thrash when he’s overstimulated or told “no.”
His outbursts in public have led to many apologetic explanations. I have often had to tell a frustrated adult or a confused child that Noah is special.
When this happens, I try to quickly rush Noah away, and sit him down somewhere quiet to explain why he did something wrong.
But what I won’t show Noah, or anyone else, is the overwhelming pain I feel in these moments. The judgmental looks and comments I have received cut me deeply, and I will often need to go somewhere quiet myself to try to work through it.
Despite these painful moments, we also have many good days. We’ll go out to the store, and Noah will tell me he loves me, grab my face for a kiss, and maybe even use a three-word-sentence to ask for what he wants.
I have hope that one day Noah will be able to speak like other children, and that he’ll go on to excel in school and anything else he sets his mind to.
Waiting for him to speak is difficult, as is the fear that he may never start speaking. But we continue to be patient and understanding, as we work to give Noah all the help he needs to reach his full potential.
I hope that you, the person reading this, can also show patience and understanding for these special children too.
If you believe your child may have autism, there are resources available to help you. Visit AutismSpeaks.org to learn more.
Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.
I had this feeling just pulsing in me to take Grayson on a bike ride. I cannot even explain how important it felt. So after cleaning the church we headed home and I told Grayson to grab his bike.
He was ecstatic!!!
And I’m telling you, I was full of love and peace and it felt so right that I was actually very ponderous about what in the world I was feeling.
My bike was in the storage unit but Cade had gotten for me before leaving town but had forgotten my helmet. I had the thought that I should be wearing one (though the angle I got I still would have been beat up but more on that later) but I decided it was just a loop around the block so Grayson threw his on and off we went.
I Should Have Listened
As we came around the cul-de-sac, I had the thought, no I should spend time with him. So I motioned to cross the street and we’d go on the walking trail. I could see a little slope from the road to the trail and I had a flat out thought to walk my bike down it. Immediately I rolled my eyes at myself as if I was being wimpy as it was so tiny, and continued forward. Just as I got to the edge I could see that it wasn’t a slope but a little ledge of asphalt and instead of grass that section had loose gravel.
I knew it before it happened.
The tire snagged the broken up asphalt and then skidded through the loose gravel, unable to grip the ground and as much as I tried to save it the bike spun out to the side and launched me forward.
I cannot stop replaying, like an old VHS on rewind, my face about to slam straight into the concrete.
I felt my teeth immediately.
They were no longer where they should be.
“Mom, Are You OK?”
And as I lifted my head to assess the damage I my brain was whirring with the worst. Feeling the blood everywhere and the dirt and the reality of hard concrete under me, both helping me feel secure and pulsing as the enemy that crushed me I felt as though the bones in my face had shattered and my lips had been ripped from my mouth.
And then I heard the softness of a familiar voice behind me…
“Mom!!! Are you ok?!”
I rolled over and started to sit up, absolutely certain I’d just crushed every bone in my right hand and my face…
What are the Chances?
The day before my accident a little girl down the road had come to play with Grayson for the first time. I grabbed her dad’s number just in case, we chatted for a bit and then I carried on with my life.
What are the chances?
I had just watched my face hurl into the asphalt and was slowly pushing myself up from the pavement to look myself over. I glanced up and saw a man walking calmly but pointedly across the street to me. He had a smile on his face and concern in his eyes as he squatted down and said, “Hey, you ok?”
What are the chances that a dad we’ve seen at the bus stop would officially get to know me just the day before?
What are the chances that because of his background he would have seen plenty of bloodied up faces and wasn’t the slightest bit worked up about me?
Lifting me to my feet he walked me across the road, back to our neighborhood and said, “how are you feeling?” Just as a wave of nausea hit.
I told him I thought I was going to be sick and he very calmly sat me day and instructed me to put my head between my knees and began breathing with me.
No Coincidence
A familiar face brought me more peace and assurance than a stranger could have.
No, we didn’t know each other well, but there was no coincidence that in my time of need my heart was known so well by a kind Father above that I was cared for by someone I knew.
He began to assess the damage, carefully and gently checking my nose and hands, asking if I could move my fingers and if anything hurt.
I couldn’t and it did. Oh it did!!
Some would say it was a coincidence that Jordan was passing by, but we know better than that…
And then I heard a car door fly open and the frantic shout, “oh my gosh, Mom!!!!!”
My Daughter
Peyton was supposed to be at a baseball game. In fact, I had just texted her, not knowing she was still in the basement to let her know I’d gone on a bike ride with G.
And the game was in the opposite direction we had gone on our bikes so imagine my surprise when I heard her voice.
My head shot up in bewilderment, “what was she doing here?!”
I’ll never forget the look on her face- sheer terror. Her eyes were wide and she was running to me as if she could cross the street in one leap.
Jordan asked who this girl was and I told her it was my daughter. Just saying those words lit my heart up. It was my daughter, my family was with me.
The ER
With blood dripping into my mouth I mumbled, “I’m ok.”
But once a stubborn teen, always a stubborn teen.
“Oh my gosh, Mom. No, you’re not!”
I looked back down and noticed the torn flesh on my left hand and the blood smeared across my palm as she crouched down beside me.
Ok, maybe she was right.
“I’m calling Dad in Idaho, come on.”
I stood up and Jordan and Peyton walked me to the backseat of her car. My hands burst into excruciating pain and my knees started to tremble. Whatever shock had been there was wearing off and I was feeling it all… especially those front teeth hanging backwards in my mouth like a little kid on the swing set about to burst forwards, legs projecting them up into the clouds.
I wanted the dentist. I needed a dentist. And the doctor. My voice broke through her fog of fear as I said, “you need to take me to the dentist.”
But the ER won, and I imagine both were equally important. There’s only a short time to move teeth back, that much I knew, but brain bleeds need help too.
“Were You Wearing a Helmet?”
Even as I sit at soccer tryouts I see two girls ride up into the park without helmets. My heart is teetering on the edge of panic, it’s not worth the false freedom to flee the safety of the rules.
That was the first question the ER doctor asked when I told him what happened, “Were you wearing a helmet?”
Superman
I laid in the hospital chair, tears silently streaming into my ears completely prepared to just breathe deep and accept whatever happened.
My friends and family all began praying because they knew this was my one thing. The one fear I’ve had my entire life, breaking my teeth. My one thing!! 😭
While I was at the hospital Cade, who was in Boise was calling around to find someone to help with my teeth. In fact, he is secretly Superman. From the moment this began, he had called ahead and completed all paperwork at the hospital, gotten my darling sister-in-law to come take the kids as Grayson was very shook up, amongst a million other things.
Dentist’s Office
As soon as I was released we dashed to the dentist who immediately began numbing my upper mouth.
⭐️ Important information! We’ve since learned that timing is KEY for teeth and it’s an oral surgeon you should head to first if possible.
Listen, I’m not at all trying to be dramatic, but it was traumatic to lie there, everything hurting and all alone with my head pressed into the stomach of an unfamiliar dentist who grabbed my teeth and used all the strength he had to try shoving my teeth back into place. And that’s where today’s post and those falling tears began.
I will spare you the details and instead fast forward a few days…the day I was so anxious for but knew had to happen.
I went back to the dentist who informed me the teeth had died. And now we move forward with what I desperately didn’t want to face, fixing this mess.
Oral Surgeon and Endodontist
The next day I headed off to the oral surgeon and then on to the endodontist. We will deal with moving teeth later as my biggest concern is not letting anything slip by that should be addressed. Especially since my jaw and bite feels off and the teeth are greying so quickly.
I’m learning a lot.
Like admitting that even though my right hand doesn’t look bad the pain and lack of mobility is a clear sign that it’s I hired in the inside. A real symbolic lesson for me to remember that people can be the same and to help and treat them gently is the only way to heal.
We All Have a Part to Play in Healing Wounds
Now, I don’t know if I’ve been living under a rock and you all already know about @silverceuticals but my dear friend, Shay (@icecream.foodie) sent me this nano silver magic and I don’t feel the need to say one thing other than look at the pictures for yourselves (SilverCeuticals has actually been so kind to offer our readers a 25% discount on some of their products! Click here!). I am shocked and truly beyond grateful that she was inspired to send me something to heal me.
We all have a part to play in healing wounds, sometimes it’s literally physically and Shay did just that for me.
I pray the rest of my doctors will be able to help with the rest.
Though a representative for Pacino, 83, confirmed to Vanity Fair that the actor and Alfallah, a 29-year-old producer at Sony, are still a couple, Alfallah was granted primary physical custody of baby Roman in September, and she and Pacino share legal custody. According to Page Six, a Los Angeles judge signed off on some hefty payouts from Pacino: He was ordered to pay $110,000 to Alfallah upfront, in addition to the monthly payment, as well as $13,000 for a night nurse. The Scarface actor will also be responsible for any medical bills not covered by insurance, and will put aside $15,000 annually for baby Roman’s future education.
Pacino has three other children from previous relationships: 34-year-old Julie Pacino, and 22-year-old twins Anton Pacino and Olivia Pacino.
Alfallah previously dated Mick Jagger. When they got together in 2017, she was 22, and he was 74. After their breakup, she told Hello! Magazine that the age difference wasn’t an issue in her relationship with the rocker. “The heart doesn’t know what it sees, it only knows what it feels. It was my first serious relationship, but it was a happy time for me.”
James Middleton, younger brother of Kate Middleton, and wife Alizée Thevenet shared the first glimpse of their new baby, a boy named Inigo, with the world via an Instagram post on Friday. The couple’s six dogs, naturally, were an integral part of the reveal.
“He has been in our lives for just a few weeks but they have been the most special of my life getting to know our beautiful baby boy,” Middleton wrote in the caption. “No matter how prepared I thought I was…I was not prepared for the overwhelming emotion of meeting Inigo for the first time and the love for my darling Alizée as we became three.”
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He said that “the dogs have been fantastic at welcoming their little brother into the pack,” and referenced his former dog Ella, whom he credits with helping him meet his future wife. The first photo in the carousel is of baby Inigo’s tiny hand next to a pin with a photo of the departed pooch. Middleton also wore the pin to King Charles III’s coronation festivities.
“We have settled into our new life as parents and I’ve told him all about Ella and that if it wasn’t for her he wouldn’t be here today and that we miss her greatly,” Middleton wrote.
In early September, Middleton and Thevenet posted photos of themselves boating with their dogs, squeezing in another adventure with their canine pals before a small human joined their pack.
On Tuesday, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry participated in a candid discussion with a panel of parents to mark World Mental Health Day, highlighting the real-world consequences that online life can have for children.
During the first in-person event for their Archewell Foundation, a summit titled “Mental Wellness in the Digital Age,” the couple took the stage in New York City alongside parents who had experienced tragedy related to their kids’ social media use. The Sussexes had been working with the families for the past year, according to People, and have been meeting with tech companies to discuss how to better protect children on social media.
“There’s a reason why no one else is working in this space, the size and the power of these companies can make you feel scared and helpless… we all understand that,” Harry said of their advocacy in the area.
“The priority here is to again turn pain into purpose and provide as much support as well as a spotlight and a platform for these parents to come together, to heal, to grieve and to also collectively focus on solutions so that no other family anywhere has to go through what they’ve been through,” he continued.
Markle shared that when they initially met the families, “it was impossible not to be in tears hearing their stories because it’s just that devastating.”
Markle and Harry have two children, 4-year-old Archie and 2-year-old Lilibet. Markle discussed the purpose of social media as a community builder, as well as its potential to become dangerous for children.
“There’s no way to hear that and not try to help these families have their stories be heard,” she said.
Markle called being a mom “the most important thing in my entire life.”
“They say being a parent, the days are long but the years are short, so it worries me, but I’m also given a lot of hope and energy by the progress we’ve made in the past year being able to have these incredible parents, these survivors of these experiences, share their stories and the more information gathering we’re able to do, the more we can move the needle a little bit,” she said.
“Everyone is affected by the online world and social media. we all just want to feel safe. I’m confident that with more ears and awareness and visibility of what is really happening, we can make some significant change together.”
Lohan and husband Bader Shammas recently welcomed their first child, baby boy Luai (much to Jamie Lee Curtis’ glee), and Lohan once again showed that she’s one of The People by wearing the great big underwear favored by recently postpartum people in an Instagram photo. It’s a real IYKYK, and she certainly Ks.
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“I am so proud of what this body was able to accomplish during these months of pregnancy and now, recovery,” she wrote in the caption. “Having a baby is the greatest joy in the world! My OOTD lately is my @fridamom postpartum underwear.”
But, lest we forget that she is La Lohan, and that we once saw her wearing army pants and flip flops so we bought army pants and flip flops, she follows up her underwear spon a little vintage Mean Girls moment.
“Because I’m not a regular mom, I’m a postpartum mom,” the caption concludes.
Look, we’re in peak summer. It’s hot. Everyone’s damp in their folds—even, we assume, Eva Mendes. We can’t know for sure what she’s actually up to, but her social media shares the past few days have the vibe of someone flopped onto a couch with the AC blasting, a cold lemonade close at hand, and not a single excess ounce of energy left. No soul, just sweat.
“Now I am just a chauffeur, like a water girl. It’s hot, so you know, I just bring them water,” she said. Another new job? “Wiper-downer.”
“I wipe them down because they’re all sweaty all over each other,” she said. “I just wanted to say that this summer of boredom that I had planned, [it] turned.”
While she presumably waited for the next time she’d be pressed into service as a wiper-downer or licensed driver to her tweens, she posted an Instagram carousel in tribute to Gosling, featuring throwback photos from The Place Beyond the Pines, the 2012 film where Gosling and Mendes met as co-stars.
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“Mi Hombre. Mi Vida…To say he’s the greatest actor I’ve ever worked with is an understatement,” Mendes captioned the post. The first slide features a pullquote from Barbie director Greta Gerwig, who in a recent Rolling Stone interview said of Gosling, “It’s some combination of Marlon Brando meets Gene Wilder meets John Barrymore meets John Travolta.”
“Gracias to the brilliant and beautiful Greta Gerwig,” Mendes wrote.
Kid activities aside, she had to have known that when you’re in a relationship with Ken, neon couture and rollerblades all but guaranteed that summer 2023 wouldn’t be a boring one.
Game of Thrones actors Kit Harington and Rose Leslie, both 36, have welcomed their second child, a rep confirmed to People. They are “delighted to have welcomed a little girl into the family,” according to the rep.
They didn’t share any more information, such as the baby’s name or when she arrived, which is par for the course for the couple, who have kept their private life private. They have a 2-year-old son, whose name they’ve also kept to themselves. The two married in 2018, surrounded by their Game of Thrones co-stars. In 2019, Harington checked himself into rehab to address alcoholism and depression, including suicidal thoughts, and since then has called himself “a very, very happy, content, sober man.”
On the red carpet for his show Extrapolations in March, Harington joked to Entertainment Tonight that his son was “about to get the shock of his life” with the arrival of his new sibling. Winter is coming, kid, and so is this baby.
Here’s hoping that Turtle follows the Car Seat Lady and gets some tips on how to install the most tricked-out five-point restraint on the market, because Vinny had a baby.
Adrian Grenier and wife Jordan Roemmele Grenier announced the birth of their first child, Seiko Aurelius Grenier, in a joint Instagram post Thursday.
The couple said in the caption that they “want to make sure to give our baby an easeful transition from spirit world to this one.”
“All rejoice this gift to the world, Seiko Aurelius Grenier, our exquisite golden one, welcome earth side!”
Little Seiko, who shares a name with a luxury timepiece brand (“seiko” means “success” or “exquisite” in Japanese, which the new parents acknowledged by calling him “our exquisite golden one” in the caption), is something of a surprise drop for the public: The couple never publicly shared that they were expecting a baby. It’s kind of their thing, you might say—they announced just under a year ago, last June, that they’d eloped in Mexico.
Other than his full name, the Greniers revealed very little about their new addition in the post. Date of birth: “A few weeks ago.” Vibes: Pretty good, it seems, if “we couldn’t be more blissed out” is anything to go by. The parenting plan: “We are cultivating our world now to preserve his innocence, his magic, and to leave enough quiet space to hear and encourage his roar.”
Jordan shared a second Instagram post with a gallery of maternity photos that dropped another little tidbit of info, that Seiko took his sweet time in being born. (Sorry, “transitioning from the spirit world to this one,” to use the Greniers’ preferred phrasing.) She mentioned that she was 7.5 months pregnant in the photos, but “fast forward to 42 weeks I’m pretty sure I doubled in size.”
A few weeks ago, Adrian marked Mother’s Day with a post that, in retrospect, has big “wow, pregnancy and/or childbirth are extremely metal and I am terrified and in awe of it after witnessing it up close” vibes.
“Been doing a lot of reflecting recently on a mom’s unmatched ability to give life,” he wrote in the caption of a post, a gallery of photos of himself and his own mother. “It’s a big something that we don’t acknowledge and revere enough in society – like, truly take the time and energy to hold up mothers on high for creating life itself! I for one am only now beginning to realize the cosmic-magic at work; the spiritual creativity that only a mother can manifest. I wonder why it wasn’t made clear to me by the world.”
De Niro and Chen walked the red carpet hand-in-hand before taking in the documentary, which was produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.
Chen wore a black dress, an oversized beige cardigan, aviator sunglasses, and heels, while De Niro went with the classic “off-duty dad” ensemble of a polo and blazer with dark slacks. Unlike Chen, he opted for flats.
The baby everyone’s buzzing about, Gia Virginia Chen De Niro, was born two months ago on April 6, but the world was made aware of her last month when De Niro corrected an interviewer who called him a dad of six. “Seven, actually,” he said. Pardon? “I just had a baby.” There’s a 51-year age gap between Gia and De Niro’s eldest child, Drina, whom De Niro adopted in 1976 with his ex-wife Diahnne Abbott.
Chen and De Niro were first seen out and about together in August 2021. Chen is a martial arts instructor, and also had a role in De Niro’s 2015 film The Intern, co-starring Anne Hathaway.
Earlier Wednesday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams presented De Niro with a key to the city in thanks for his activism and support of the arts. Typically, keys are a choking hazard for babies and young kids, but this one’s mounted on a plaque, so baby-proofing fanatics can breathe easy.
They may have to add a few pages to Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady’s kids’ passports, based on the stamps they’ll rack up this summer. When Vivian, 10, and Benjamin, 13, pass around their yearbooks to their pals, they will gaze upon their friends’ signatures telling them to HAGS—that’s “have a good summer,” for anyone who’s never been a school-aged child—and scoff. They know they’re going to have a good summer because, according to Brady, their break begins with a visit to the Magic Kingdom.
In an interview with People, Brady said that first on the summer vacation docket was a post-last day of school celebration at Disneyland. “I’ve got my little calendar right here,” he said. Then, the kids will go with Bündchen to Brazil, with plans to head to Europe with Brady later.
“They got lots of good plans,” he said. “These kids have a really good summer lined up.”
“It’s tough because you imagine your life was going to be a certain way, and you did everything you could, you know?” she said. “I believed in fairy tales when I was a kid. I think it’s beautiful to believe in that. I mean, I’m so grateful I did.”
Brady even managed to throw in what some Bostonians may take as a dig while enthusing about all the outdoor beach activities the kids can do now at one of their parents’ many beachside homes (Bahamas, Brazil, Costa Rica, Florida, you name it, they beach house it).
“It’s very different than being in the Northeast for all those years where we just didn’t have a lot of those types of activities,” he told People. Sick burn.
Bündchen herself told VF in her April cover profile that she was living her dream in her Costa Rican casita. “If I never went to another city again, I’d be perfectly happy,” she said.
And as for Brady’s summer? He didn’t get too specific about his plans beyond the Europe of it all, but prayers up that 2023 is the year this man leans into his cheeseburger era.
American mothers across the nation recognized for their vocation of motherhood, resiliency, commitment to family and community with historic award
Press Release –
Feb 3, 2022
WASHINGTON, February 3, 2022 (Newswire.com)
– American Mothers, Inc.® announced the 2022 Mother of the Year® award recipients today — women from diverse backgrounds and experiences across the nation recognized for their work, resiliency and commitment to family and community. These mothers were chosen from every state after a national nomination and selection process led by the organization. American Mothers, Inc. is an 87-year-old non-profit organization whose mission is to recognize mothers and their positive impact through the historic annual Mother of the Year® award.
The state honorees will represent their respective home states at the American Mothers national convention this April, and one honoree will be selected as the 2022 National Mother of the Year®. “Time and time again, we have seen that there is no one like Mom,” said Joyce Stevens, President of American Mothers, Inc. “Now, more than ever, people are seeing the work that goes into motherhood and truly recognizing the resiliency of mothers. It is an honor to be an organization that has built a legacy network of moms across the nation while sharing their stories of strength and inspiration.”
For general media inquiries or to set up an interview with a Mother of the Year® honoree, send an email to news@americanmothers.org.
2022 Mother of the Year® Honorees
Alabama Mother of the Year: Antoinette Sands Alaska: Claudia Jones Arkansas: Elisha Pillow-Daugherty California: Vanessa Lopez Colorado: Doris Donley Delaware: Roxane Ferguson D.C.: Vanessa Partin Florida: Kristen Brown Georgia: Natalie Fikes Hawaii: Cheryl Ho Idaho: Charity Haderlie Illinois: Rachel Ternstrom Iowa: Nancy Boettger Kansas: Sierra Roberts Maine: Patricia Clark Maryland: Dr. Tasheka L. Green Massachusetts: Dalene Basden Minnesota: October Allen Missouri: Amanda St. Pierre Nebraska: Kimmera Vogt Nevada: Dianna Klein New Hampshire: Jane Davidson New Mexico: Consuelo Cordova North Carolina: Demetria Davis North Dakota: Chelsey Strand Oklahoma: Robyn Sunday-Allen Pennsylvania: Tracy Purdy Puerto Rico: Zorimar Betancourt Rhode Island: Michelle Ristuccia South Carolina: Holly Vega Tennessee: Shana Smith Texas: Jessica Dunn Utah: Nancy Kennedy Vermont: Tracey Hemond West Virginia: Kristi Goode Wisconsin: Lisa Witt
American Mothers, Inc.® (AMI) is a national non-profit, non-partisan organization given the responsibility of searching for and selecting the National Mother of the Year® from honorees representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Founded in 1931 as the Mothers Day Committee of the Golden Rule Foundation, AMI named the first Mother of the Year® on behalf of the nation in 1935. Today, our mission is to harness the power of maternal energy to make a positive impact in the world. For more information about the organization, visit AmericanMothers.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @AmericanMothers. “Mother of the Year” and the American Mothers logo are registered trademarks of American Mothers, Inc.®
10 Discouraged, Yet Determined Intended Parents Embark on a Highly Emotional, Unconventional Journey to Baby-making Including the Exclusive Story of Fuller House Stars Fox and Dashiell Messitt.
Press Release –
updated: Apr 16, 2019
LOS ANGELES, April 16, 2019 (Newswire.com)
– Just in time for Infertility week, Alera Enterprises, Inc. announced today that CBS UK has acquired EGG FACTOR, a gripping, 10-part docu-series tracing the extraordinary lives of men and women involved in creating modern families with donated eggs. Egg Factor, which is set to debut in early 2020, will kick off National Infertility Week on April 23 with its US premiere in Los Angeles followed by a Q&A led by Executive Producer, Lara Sarkissian and her female-powered team. In addition, featured couple Kacy Andrews and Jack Messitt (parents of Fuller HouseStars Fox and Dashiell Messitt) will join the panel to discuss their unconventional and highly controversial journey to parenthood.
In EGG FACTOR, single mothers, couples, lesbians, and gay men who struggle to conceive naturally are finally able to realize their dream of having a baby with healthy eggs from young women who are willing to go through the grueling egg retrieval process. The journeys are both eye-opening and entertaining with twists, setbacks and surprises – but ultimately ending with the same wondrous result: A new life!
“Now, more than ever,” says Lara Sarkissian. “Women need one another; this is the very notion that motivated me to put my life savings on the line to create an opportunity for women to empower others in the most extraordinary way. The true experiences featured in Egg Factor not only aim to lift the secrecy and shame surrounding infertility, but to help restore the spirits of discouraged, yet determined couples as they surrender to the DNA or a womb of another’s.”
“Of course,” Sarkissian adds, “I couldn’t have done this alone, like the women I followed, I’m indebted to the endless support from Gifted Journeys, PFCLA my partner Alen Tarassians and amazing team at Alera who were instrumental in the development and production of Egg Factor.”
For millions of intended parents, creating a healthy baby comes with a difficult choice they never imagined: accepting the end of their own genetic lineage and relying on a stranger’s eggs. Egg donation is on the rise with 74 percent more registered donors in the last ten years. 10,000 babies are born each year using donor eggs, a number that has doubled in just a few years.
ABOUT ALERA
Alera Enterprises is a boutique production company with a mission to create new media content that is always ahead of the curve. With hundreds of hours of television programs under their belt, the team at Alera is passionate about all that they produce. From script to screen, commercials to documentaries and apps for mobile devices, ingenuity rules! Be it with Overhaulin’ (transforming dream cars with Chip Foose), Living with Ed (tackling green living with celeb-environmentalist Ed Begley Jr.) or with their latest series Egg Factor (redefining the modern family formation), Alera creates groundbreaking programming that simply connects to your soul.
ABOUT GIFTED JOURNEYS
All donations in EGG FACTOR were arranged by Gifted Journeys, a leading egg donation and surrogacy agency headed by Wendie Wilson-Miller and Tina Barbagallo, both of whom donated eggs of their own multiple times. Wendie Wilson-Miller, Founder and CEO of Gifted Journeys is an award-winning author internationally recognized for her works on LGBT in Insider’s Guide to Egg Donation: A Compassionate and Comprehensive Guide For All Parents-to-Be. Further, Wednie co-founded Society for Ethics in Egg Donation and Surrogacy (SEEDS), where she currently holds the title of Vice President.
WONDERING HOW TO BEGIN YOUR OWN EGG DONATION JOURNEY?
