Kerry Washington has become an icon. As an actress, parent, and female role model, the star has really given the idea of mystery a whole new look. No one knows what happens in the star's personal life but her and only her closest comrades.
But every once in a while, she shares a bit of parenting wisdom that really helps her fans have a slightly closer look into what it truly means to be both a mom and an icon. Some of the parenting rules the celebrity lives by may come as a surprise, while others are just so Olivia Pope. Enjoy this little walk into this private stars' very personal life.
10 Be A Child Ambassador
In an interview with Oprah, Kerry Washington defended her parenting style after the talk show host expressed her surprise when witnessing Washington with her daughter.
Washington referred to herself as an ambassador for her child, indicating that her role as a parent was more to show her child the world and to present it how it is, not dictate what her daughter needs to know.
9 Make The Right "Feel Good" Choices
Kerry Washington parents, unapologetically. The decisions she makes about her family really encourage her to feel empowered.
According to Essence, the actress said, "when it comes to parenting — but really with any relationship — one always has to make the choices that feel right for you. And then you kind of live with those choices and do your best to make sure that everybody’s healthy and happy along the way."
8 Pictures Are For Friends (And Therapists) Only!
Kerry Washington really pushes herself to keep her private life private. This means no social media accounts showing photos of her children. Instead, she has a private account for her friends, family, and therapist.
She says this helps with her urge to post of her littles. She was quoted as saying, "I have moments where I take pictures or videos of one of my three amazing kids and I wanna post it online, and I tend to just send it to my parents or my shrink instead."
7 Accept What's Perfect
Washington believes that a major part of parenting is just accepting the way that things are and embracing it. This is truly a gem for most parents since in today's day and age many new mothers are caught up in trying to be "perfect" instead of accepting the way things are as their perfect.
She has said in interviews that it's fine if she's on a conference call for work and she's pumping because it's "her perfect."
6 Children Are Individuals
As an actress, Washington has had to specialize in transforming her character into many other people. This has really helped her appreciate identity. In her most recent film about police brutality, Washington learned how much more important it is to make sure children are not just made into yet another statistic.
She uses the feelings she has for her children, as a parent, to reflect and really transform her character in the film, she revealed in an interview with Daily Mail.
5 Always Teach Beauty Lessons
The beauty icon Kerry Washington never slacks off when it comes to beauty. She even has her own line of nail polish, which is something that many people might not know about the actress.
When it comes to beauty, the star says she puts a lot of emphasis on teaching her kids about beauty, but especially about the beauty inside. The star was quoted saying, "inner beauty is always more important than what's on the outside." That is such a great lesson for parents everywhere and a great rule to follow when teaching kids about what really matters, especially when it comes from a celeb mom.
4 Prioritize Parental Scavenger Hunts
When Washington was asked how she manages to balance her home and work life she jokingly said that as a mother, finding time for herself was "empowering." She prioritizes taking time for herself, which she refers to as "a weekly scavenger hunt, figuring out where’s the me time,” she said. Surely balancing fame and toddlers isn't easy.
But she seems to do it seamlessly on the outside. Finding time for herself is just one more parenting rule the star lives by to make her life, that those of her children, simpler.
3 Let Children Be The Teacher, Sometimes
Washington is in awe of the effect her daughter, Isabelle, has had on her life. She has been quoted saying that her daughter is her teacher and believes that parenting should be a two way street when it comes to learning. The actress enforces this very much in the ways she speaks to her children and how she shares experiences with them.
Whether it's a new role or another year older, the actress is constantly propelling herself forward in the world of acting in order to push herself to the limits and learn more about herself and the world.
2 Motherhood Is Thicker Than Blood
Washington took the media for a loop when she announced that she was a mother of three. After her secret wedding and her fans never really seeing pictures of her children, one couldn't be too surprised if she had a baby and it went completely under the radar. But in actuality, the star was referencing her step-daughter.
She said that she is a mother to both her two biological children and her husband's daughter from a former marriage. As a parent, even if you don't give birth to that child yourself, you are still involved as a parent. That's one lesson for the books. Thanks, Kerry.
1 Ask For Help
When it comes to parenting one of the worst things one can do is constantly be in the dark. Kerry Washington has shared that she asks for help a lot because that's the way that she can achieve balance when it comes to her personal and professional lives.
Most new parents have one million questions, even seasoned parents may have a few hundred. As a rule, Washington never shy's away from asking the questions she needs to get the answers in order to care for her little ones to the fullest extent. It's a hard job, but if anyone can do it, she can.