Yet another Hollywood mama giving out parenting advice… that most normal humans won’t be able to take.
This time it’s Emma Thompson with an unhelpful one-liner: ‘You can’t be a great mum if you’re working all the time.’
The 55-year-old Love Actually actress took a year off recently to look after her kids, 14-year-old daughter Gaia and 26-year-old adopted son Tindyebwa Agaba.
Reflecting on those sweet 12 months of mother time, she said: ‘I highly recommend others to do the same if they can afford it,’ perhaps forgetting that the cool $50 million in her bank account gives her a pretty huge head-start when it comes to parenting gap years.
‘A year off was my birthday present to myself,’ she said. ‘I didn’t actually act or write. I was just a mum. I taught drama at my daughter’s school, cooked meals and had fun.’
Which is delightful for Emma and her fam, obviously. But realistic advice for most mothers of the world? Not so much.
She continues: ‘Sometimes in life you’ll have some things, at other times you will have other things. You don’t need it all at once, it’s not good for you. Motherhood is a full-time job. The only way I could have continued working would have been by delegating the running of the home to other people. I never wanted to do this as I find motherhood profoundly enjoyable.’
She added that her husband Greg Wise is ‘the only luxury I can’t imagine ever being able to give up.’
And he certainly sounds like a catch: ‘Because he can cook, wash up, clean, entertain children, understand maths homework, put up shelves, take them down and put them up elsewhere and repair the little holes left behind, garden with a purpose, drive sensibly but very fast on motorways and let me get on with my life.’
Perhaps Emma knew how rare and lucky her situation was when she made these comments. Perhaps she’s wearing Hollywood-coloured glasses. Either way, E-Thomp’s latest motherhood lessons have not been received well by single mothers, working mothers, and single working mothers.
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Top Comments
And seriously, how much care do a 14 and a 26 year old require?
Another silly article Mamamia - once again trying to make something out of absolutely nothing and trying to stir up the "mummy wars". When will you learn?
Every single comment here disagrees with your insinuation mamma mia! I have noticed that you often publish articles of this vibe.....the idea that working full time and also trying to parent young children is somehow just as good for a child as a mum at home full time. Everyone has different circumstances as to whether they can be at home with their kids or not, that's life. I am a happy stay at home mum, it is a privilege but we are in no way rich. I wear second clothes, have an old car, we are paying interest only on our mortgage. We are pretty much eating into our savings so I can be at home with the kids until they start school. It is a temporary sacrifice, for an enormous reward. When I hear other mums who don't know our circumstances say things like 'you are so lucky you can afford to be at home to be with your kids' I can't help but feel, yes , many don't have a choice (single parents etc etc) but many DO - they just have different priorities. Some people aren't suited to be at home with kids, which is fine, some don't want a break in their career... Many reasons. And they are all ok! But most mums seem to feel guilty admitting this and instead put down stay at home mothers, overreact to celebrity comments such as this. Because they feel bad I guess. Everyone should just get real!