Meghan Markle Shares Her Honest Thoughts on Motherhood
Updated: Jan. 18, 2023
Meghan Markle admits she's not a perfect mother—and that no one else has to be, either!
She may have married a bonafide prince and become the Duchess of Sussex after marrying Prince Harry in 2018, but when it comes to parenting her kids Archie, 3, and Lilibet (“Lili)” 1, Meghan Markle is pretty much just like the rest of us non-royal moms—just trying to keep it all together!
In her most recent Archetypes podcast, Markle, who moved to her and Prince Harry’s beautiful Montecito, California mansion after abdicating from her royal title in 2020, noted that she’s “in the thick of it” right now with juggling two kids under four
What did Megan Markle say about motherhood?
In particular, Markle says the mornings can typically be a “whirlwind,” but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It’s very important to me. I love doing it,” she told her guests Sophie Trudeau, wife of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Better Things actress and director Pamela Adlon.
She went on to describe the average day in her household: “It’s both monitors on for the kids, to hear them,” she said. “[I’m] always up with Lili, get her downstairs, then half an hour later, Archie’s up… My husband’s helping me get him downstairs and I make breakfast for all three of them.”
Like most new parents, Markle said she never realized the amount of work that goes into both being pregnant and raising children, and that led to massive newfound respect for parents that are doing it on their own.
“It is so much work to be a mom when you are just trying to be a conscious parent to raise good, kind human beings … to do that solo is the most impressive, admirable thing on the planet,” she said.
She also realized how judgmental the motherhood space can be. “The pressures imposed [on] being a mom, a good mom or a good wife, the ideals we try to live up to and the expectations we self-impose … they’re pretty trapping,” she said.
What can we learn from Megan?
Still, Markle said she’s doing her best not to fall into the idea of being the “perfect” mom.
“You can be the mom who says she needs a break for just a minute, and then, if you’re like me, sits in bed scrolling through pictures of, you guessed it, your kids,” she said. “You can be the mom who never misses a school pickup or drop-off and bakes the perfect cookies, or be the one who buys the cookies from the store because that works too. Just as you can be the wife whose claim to fame is making pot roast, or the wife who admittedly makes only one thing well: [restaurant] reservations.”
Like the average mother, she worried about losing her sense of self after having kids but realized that was a silly concern.
“You can be a feminist and be feminine. You can clutch your pearls one day and let your curls be wild the next,” she said. “You can be a working mom in or out of the house, and you can have drinks with friends after putting your baby to bed.”
She also encouraged her listeners to give themselves a break, too, if they ever found themselves worrying whether they were “good ‘nough.” We agree that it’s always important to remind yourself of your self-worth.
“We are all doing the best we can, so maybe it’s time to let go of these archetypes …riddled with so much judgment, and instead focus on one thing: being a good person,” Markle said.
Originally Published: November 08, 2022
