Brooke Shields teaches daughters about inner beauty
When it comes to raising daughters Rowan Francis, 5, and Grier Hammond, 2, Brooke Shields says it’s important to her that the girls understand beauty is more than skin deep. Once named ‘The Most Beautiful Woman in the World,’ herself, Brooke tells The Daily Mail "obviously, I think [Rowan and Grier] are the most beautiful creatures in the world … but I try not to tell them that all the time." Instead, Brooke says she hopes to improve their self-esteem with positive affirmations like ‘You’re smart’ or ‘What a strong girl you are’ or ‘What wonderful manners you have!’ She added,
I’m starting them young to try to instill in them the sense that there’s something more to life than what’s on the outside.
Being a mom has brought the 43-year-old actress "an intensity of love" she says she’s never felt before, something that is reaffirmed for her each and every day.
When Rowan comes into my bedroom in the mornings it’s like I’m in heaven. She does this thing where she opens my eyelids with her little hands and says ‘Mummy, wake up now!’
Click continue reading for Brooke’s thoughts on her well-publicized battle with postpartum depression.
Becoming a successful actress while still a teenager, Brooke had become accustomed to a lifetime of success. When she struggled to conceive a baby with husband Chris Henchy, however, she was forced to accept that not all things would come to her naturally.
My mother brought me up to believe I could do anything I wanted to. I thought I’d get pregnant in a nanosecond.
After six attempts at in vitro fertilization Brooke became pregnant with Rowan, a time in her life that Brooke says was "happy, happy, happy like you would not believe." It stands in stark contrast to what she experienced after Rowan’s birth, however, when she found herself battling postpartum depression.
I just wanted to die. If I saw a large truck, my impulse was to jump in front of it.
Much of what she felt during that time — which she chronicled in the bestselling book Down Came The Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression — was "so absurd," Brooke says she "can only laugh about it now."
The scary thing was how rational I felt. It wasn’t dramatic. It was very matter-of-fact and made perfect sense. That was what was so devastating, it was as if I’d been bodysnatched.
Source: Daily Mail; Photo by Flynet.
- Posted on Jun 25, 08 at 3:30PM
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- 9 Comments
June 25th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Her description of PPD is so right-on. I had the most bizarre thoughts that I look back on now in shock. Gosh was my hubby patient and caring!
June 25th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
I thought Rowan’s complete name was Rowan Francis, not Rowan Frances.
June 25th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
I read somewhere that once she was in the car with Rowan and she called somebody because she wanted to crash her car into a wall with the baby in the back seat.
I think it’s a good thing that she talked about it cause I’m sure it helped a lot of women getting through post-partum depression.
Love Ya Brooke!
June 25th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
I always find it ironic when someone whose entire career was/is based on how they look insists that there’s more important things than looks.
June 25th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
It took a lot of courage to talk about her depression issues and I am glad that so many people learned more about this serious condition.
June 25th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
Steph- Brooke was on Oprah and she said that she wanted to crash her car into a wall but didn’t b/c the baby was in the car. It was one more thing she wanted to do but couldn’t do b/c of Rowan. She basically blamed the baby for everything. I can’t imagine what she went through but I’m glad she got through it. She seems so happy and extremely blessed.
June 26th, 2008 at 12:08 am
I love that she is teaching her girls that beauty comes in being well rounded in all aspects of your being. I think we put a lot of emphasis on appearances and not enough on goodness and a sense of accomplishments. After all, looks fade but a good attitude and respect goes a long way in building character that endures forever. Brooke is truly a beauty and so are her girls.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:25 am
Janna–
Brooke Shields is actually a talented actress and author. Plus, she graduated with honors from Princeton, an Ivy League school. So, aside from being beautiful, she is also brilliant and accomplished. If she was not beautiful, she would still be successful in another arena. Every star has a right (and a duty!) to teach their children that beauty is on the inside, and Brooke backs it up with her actions, starting from childhood.
July 9th, 2008 at 11:53 am
Brooke’s wisdom in using affirmations to train her children is very forward thinking.
Children respond very quickly to the things we say to them – they are like little computers that we program. We can program them with positive, constructive statements that build them up and grow their self esteem, or we can crush and destroy their hearts with negativity. Way to go Brooke!