My son just got married, and I'm no longer the center of his world. I'm now lost and wish I didn't make 'mom' my only identity.

Tech Insider
a mother and son hugging on his wedding day
The author, not pictured, is lost now that her son is married.

volkway/Getty Images

Hilary Swank says she's glad she waited until her late 40s to have kids. It made her a more present mom.

Tech Insider
Hilary Swank at the Lionsgate's
Hilary Swank, 50, said she's happy she had her kids in her late 40s.

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Halle Berry says she tries to avoid being identified as 'only a mom'

Tech Insider
Halle Berry speaks onstage during the Lionsgate presentation at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace during CinemaCon 2024.
Halle Berry said she wants to maintain her identity outside being a mother.

Valerie Macon/ Getty Images

Naomi Osaka says she doesn't want many more kids because giving birth was 'traumatic'

Tech Insider : Sports
Naomi Osaka holding a tennis racket.
Naomi Osaka said she had a traumatizing childbirth experience.

Robert Prange/Getty Images

I gave more attention to my demanding job than to raising my 4 kids. I'm heartbroken over what it cost me.

Tech Insider
A moody/sad woman is collaged next to a smaller image of a husband and their child on a purple/lavender background.
Abigail DeGuzman (not pictured) prioritized her demanding job over being present for her children. Now, she's making up for lost time.

Getty Images; Chelsea Jia Feng/BI

I'm remarried but still have the instincts of a single mom. I always ensure I make enough money to support my son on my own.

Tech Insider
Ashley Archambault and her son smiling and sitting in a booth at a restaurant.
Ashley Archambault was a single mom for seven years before getting remarried.

Courtesy Ashley Archambault

I burned out trying to be an overachieving parent. I learned it's OK to ask for help.

Tech Insider
Amanda Miller Littlejohn and her daughter on a yellow background with baby toys and a bottle in red collaged in squares behind her.
The author felt like she had to be an overachiever while parenting her first two kids but learned to ask for help the third time around.

Amanda Miller Littlejohn; Getty Images; Tyler Le/BI

Shannen Doherty said she 'desperately' wanted to be a mom. Experts explain how cancer can affect family planning.

Tech Insider
Shannen Doherty posing for a photo at the Farrah Fawcett Foundation's Tex-Mex Fiesta in 2019.
Shannen Doherty said she and her ex-husband had tried IVF, but they stopped when she entered menopause.

Tibrina Hobson/ Getty Images

I'm a single mother who just graduated with a master's degree. My two toddlers helped me survive the chaos.

Tech Insider
Ke'Yonna Hall with her two kids on graduation day
The author with her two kids on graduation day.

Courtesy of Ke'Yonna Hall

I quit my Ph.D. program to be a wife and mother at 23. It's not what I expected for my post-college life, but I'm happier.

Tech Insider
Terryn Witherspoon-Woolfolk and her husband cutting a cake on their wedding day
The author, left, wanted to be a mother and wife – not an academic.

Courtesy of Trevor Mercer

Subscribe to Motherhood