Jeannie Mai opens up about motherhood, says her 4-year-old daughter ‘healed something’ in her
Television personality Jeannie Mai, 47, recently opened up about how motherhood has positively impacted her life, saying that her 4-year-old daughter, Monaco, has “healed something” in her.
Per PEOPLE, Mai, who shares Monaco with her ex-husband Jeezy, spoke extensively about their daughter during an interview with Mini. She explained that motherhood has made her “more resilient than I ever knew and also more tender than I ever allowed.”
“I spent so much of my life being strong as armor, never wanting to appear soft or vulnerable. Monaco cracked me open,” she also revealed. “She showed me that tenderness is strength.”
“That being moved, being soft, being willing to feel everything fully — that’s not weakness, that’s power,” Mai continued. “She healed something in me I didn’t even know needed healing.”
Mai also opened up about co-parenting, saying that the arrangement “looks like choosing Monaco over ego, every single time.”
The 47-year-old said that co-parenting, however, comes with some difficulties, and one of the “hardest things I’ve ever navigated” was not getting to spend time with her daughter.
“There are moments the house is quiet, and it just hits different, like a silence that feels loud,” Mai said. “What helps me is filling that time with things that make me feel whole, so I come back to her as a better version of myself.”
“I pray. I FaceTime her and let her show me her toys for 45 minutes like I’ve never seen them before. I remind myself that a mama who takes care of her own soul is giving her daughter the greatest gift,” she continued, per PEOPLE. “And when she comes back every single time feels like the best day of my life.”
Mai additionally touched on balancing motherhood with her career.
“Honestly, I’ve stopped calling it balance because balance implies perfect equilibrium, and that’s not real life. What I am for is integration — letting Monaco see my work, letting my work be infused with the values she’s teaching me,” she stated. “Some days I am crushing it professionally, and I’m not the most present mom. Other days, I am so fully there with her, and my inbox is crying.”
“I give myself grace for both,” she said. “What I’ve committed to is quality of presence over quantity of time. When I am with her, I am with her. Phone down, eyes on her, heart open. That’s the standard I hold myself to.”
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