Katie Holmes keeps her romantic life private, but she’s much more open when it comes to her experience as a parent.
Since becoming a mother, the actress has spoken in interviews about her approach to parenting her daughter, Suri Cruise, who is now 12 years old.
In honor of Holmes’ birthday, here are 13 of her standout quotes about motherhood.
On Work-Life Balance
“My child is the most important person to me, and her upbringing is paramount to my work right now. It’s very important that I’m present and she has a stable, innocent childhood. I feel so blessed to do what I do, but there’s nothing in the world better than watching your child succeed.”
On The Heartbreaking Part Of Parenthood
“Every day, kids get a little further away from you. That’s a positive thing. They should be becoming more independent, but it’s heartbreaking. You want them to stay with you forever, but they’re these amazing beings, and you have to do everything you can to give them what they need ― and then they’re going to go. And that’s going to be very, very sad for me.”
On Raising A Child In The Spotlight
“In today’s world a lot of celebrities probably shield their children from the tabloids; in my household we know what they print isn’t true, so we don’t pay attention. There are more important things.”
On Priorities
“I think the basics are very important: The number one thing is making sure my child feels loved. And good about herself. And that what she does and who she is, is special and important, and should be celebrated. And my mom always said, ‘No one loves you like your mother.’”
On Generosity
“My little one is very, very genius and very sensitive. So she’s always [saying], ‘Mom, let’s give my old toys to people who need it.’ So we are always doing that.”
On Parenting In The Instagram Age
“Remember the days when the only time anyone took out a camera was on birthdays, holidays and vacations? ... [Now it’s] like, that [mom] has taken her child to Morocco. Why haven’t I taken my child to Morocco?”
On Santa Claus
“We are getting ready for Christmas in my house. My daughter’s 8 years old and she already has her Christmas list ready. It’s written out. She’s very organized. I start to, like, get a little bit of panic because you cannot screw up talking to Santa. You cannot miss any item on that list, because if you screw that up, that’s years and years of hearing about it, and then probably therapy.”
On Moments Of Doubt
“Am I enough? Am I doing enough? Have I seen her enough? Guess what? You’re not enough, she hasn’t seen you enough, you’re horrible: That’s how it can feel sometimes ... You do the best you can. Some days you feel really good about yourself and some days you don’t.”
On Her Goal As A Mother
“Raise good humans ... I do a lot to put perspective on life. We help out the homeless. We do small acts of kindness. Again, it’s a daily thing. I don’t over-gift. I don’t inundate my child with a lot of things. We’re trying to raise good humans and some days we’re better at it than others. You don’t always get treats.”
On Creating A Village
“[I have] girlfriends of all ages, who have children of all ages. I lean on them. You really need to support each other, help people through whatever it is they’re going through – whether it’s ‘My kid just threw a tantrum’ or ‘I was late for graduation’ or whatever it is, you know! I think we all need to just ease up. Ease up on the expectations, and the worrying. We’re all trying to do the best we can.”
On Her Parenting Approach
“We just focus on what she’s passionate about and how you feel when you achieve your goals. Be true to your sense of opinions. I listen to her. It’s a daily thing. I try to reward her for her hard work, and not necessarily the results of the hard work.”
On Having A Daughter
“I thought Hillary was going to win this year and it was such a ― it just hurt so badly when she didn’t. And I know that it hurt my child so much as a 10-year-old, and it really made me think, ‘Oh, we have a lot … a long way to go as women.’ We have to raise our girls to be very strong, not just for themselves, but to open the doors for other people.”
On Pinterest-y Moments
“I spray-paint shoe racks, because, why not? I think, ‘Oh, I’m a great mom’ — and then it doesn’t really pan out the way I think it’s going to. But the intention’s there. I’ve always painted and done crafts at home — I have to stay creative in every aspect [of my life]. My sister teaches art, and she gives me a lot of ideas.”
