Every mom gets unsolicited advice at some point in her motherhood journey. The advice never really stops, so why not hear what some of our favorite moms have to say about motherhood. Whether we are facing a new career move, working toward a life change, or just trying to make it through this thing called motherhood with our sanity intact, we should check out this advice from some of the most famous Black celebrity moms.
These moms have to balance a public image with that of their personal lives, so they know a thing or two about bossing up and experiencing the trials and beauty of motherhood.
Beyoncé
Beyoncé, mother to 9-year-old daughter Blue and 3-year-old twins, Rumi and Sir, shared in British Vogue’s December 2020 issue, “Something cracked open inside of me right after giving birth to my first daughter. From that point on, I truly understood my power, and motherhood has been my biggest inspiration.”
She also shared that her mission is to make sure Blue lives in a world where she feels seen and valued, a noble mission for any mom.
Shonda Rhimes
For the moms who feel that being a mother has sparked their purpose in life, Shonda Rhimes said, “Being a mother is not a job … I find it offensive to motherhood to call being a mother a job. Being a mother isn’t a job. It’s who someone is. It’s who I am. You can quit a job. I can’t quit being a mother. I’m a mother forever.”
Rhimes is mother to three: Emerson, Harper, and Beckett.
Jada Pinkett Smith
Now with her Red Table Talk show, we can hear from both Jada Pinkett Smith, mom to 20-year-old Willow and 22 year-old Jaden, and her own mother on motherhood.
When asked about her secret to feeling powerful as a mom, Jada said, “I did both things; I stopped [working] and I was miserable and my family was miserable. When I was working I was good. I had to realize that I was going to be more of a benefit to my family doing the things that I love.”
Regina King
Regina King is mother to an adult son, Ian, 25, and got choked up when talking about her child.
Regina said, “I get emotional because my son is an amazing young man, and it took me to be a mother for me to realize how incredible of a woman [my mother] is. You don’t know what unconditional love is. You may say you do, but if you don’t have a child, you don’t know what that is. So, that is the greatest part about me. Being a mom to Ian.”
Kelly Rowland
Not all moms are full of patience. Some of us have to learn it through motherhood. Kelly Rowland was one of those moms. “I was nervous that I didn’t have the patience to be a good mom, because before Titan I had zero,” she admitted.
When asked about her advice to new moms, she shared, “Write on your mirror in lipstick: I had a baby. I’m a superhero.” Kelly recently had her second son, Noah, who joins older brother Titan, 6.
Viola Davis
When you need a kick in the behind, just listen to the words Viola Davis shared on what values she treasures. “Your ability to adapt to failure, and navigate your way out of it, absolutely 100% makes you who you are,” said Viola, mom to 10-year-old Genesis.
Taraji Henson
Taraji Henson often shares openly about the strength needed to boss up as a single mother to her 26-year-old son, Marcell.
When asked for advice she shared, “I never saw my baby as a roadblock to my goals or a strike against my ability to do exactly what I planned to do with my life; I simply started planning and dreaming about ways I would get what I wanted out of life while I had a baby on my hip.”
Kamala Harris
No matter how you come to be a mother, we all play a role in shaping the lives of our children. Vice President Kamala Harris is stepmom to two children.
In a 2019 personal essay, Kamala wrote, “As a child of divorce, I knew how hard it could be when your parents start to date other people, and I was determined not to insert myself in their lives until Doug and I had established we were in this for the long haul. Children need consistency; I didn’t want to insert myself into their lives as a temporary fixture because I didn’t want to disappoint them.”
Her stepchildren, Cole, 23, and Ella, 21, lovingly call her "Momala." How cute!
Gabrielle Union
Gabrielle Union is mom to children in a variety of ages (Kaavia, 2, and stepmom to Zaire, 19; Zaya, 13; and Xavier, 7) and gets her fair share of mommy shamers.
She has ways to combat the comparison and mommy guilt: “I had to hit the mommy shamers day one. I’m going to do it my way … I want to be able to make whatever choice I want to make and not have to answer to anybody but me.”
Cardi B
People often look to Cardi B for her guilt-free feelings on her body and sexiness. So when asked about being a sexy mom, she replied, “I feel like when I’m half naked and when I twerk, people be like, ‘You’re a mom now,’ and it’s like, 'Well I was doing it before I was a mom, so it’s not like there’s gonna be a difference.’ I feel like moms who do wanna feel sexy can be. I don’t feel like once you become a mom, you supposed to be this nun.”
Cardi B is mom to Kulture, her 2-year-old daughter.
Michelle Obama
Michelle Obama has been a mother on one of the biggest world stages and definitely has advice on how we can handle scrutiny.
“Being a mother has been a masterclass in letting go," she said. "Try as we might, there’s only so much we can control. And boy, have I tried — especially at first. As mothers, we just don’t want anything or anyone to hurt our babies. But life has other plans.”
The former first lady and former President Barack Obama are parents to Malia, 22, and Sasha, 19.
Serena Williams
When you’re overwhelmed just looking at your schedule, remember you are not alone. Serena Williams once said, “I don’t know how moms do it. I work a lot, and I can’t imagine working a full day like most working women and then go back to their babies.”
Serena, mom to Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., 3, continued, “I am often exhausted, stressed, and then I go play a professional tennis match. We keep going. I am so proud and inspired by the women who do it day in and day out. I’m proud to be this baby’s mama.”
Kerry Washington
Kerry Washington makes it a point to take care of herself and shares that we should all be doing that. “I feel empowered when I’m making time to take care of myself," she said. "I think of it as kind of like my weekly scavenger hunt, figuring out where’s the me time, I put it on my list of priorities.”
Kerry keeps her personal life with children Caleb, 4, and Isabelle, 6, and her husband, Nnamdi, under wraps.
Jennifer Hudson
Many moms want to be bosses in order to show their children a model of what that looks like. Jennifer believes in “setting an example," for her son, 11 year-old David Jr. But she adds, "I do not force things on him. When he sees things Mommy does, he learns the right ways."
Diana Ross
As a mom, Diana Ross has shown that although your career may be demanding, you can keep your priorities straight. Diana once said, “My children come first and the career comes in around that.”
She is mother to five children: Rhonda, 49, Tracee, 48, Chudney, 45, Ross, 33, and Evan, 32.
Patti LaBelle
Celebrities often struggle with mom life just like we do – and Patti LaBelle is no exception.
“When Zuri was born, I cried all the time," the singer once shared about how she felt following the arrival of her son, who is now 47. "I was just not feeling myself, the way I used to … When women go through this, they don’t know that they’re going through postpartum depression. Don’t beat yourself up. Raise that baby.”
Sade
Motherhood is a big job! Sade exprssed her feelings on the topic when she said, “Being a mother is the biggest and hardest job I’ve ever undertaken. I’m not complaining, but I’ve never had a nanny. For years after she was born I put Ila to bed every night. As soon as she arrived she became the center of my life.”
Sade's son, Izaak, is now 24 years old.
Solange Knowles
Solange Knowles knows the benefit of having your village around you to be a boss completely. When asked about motherhood, Solange said, “It’s such a beautiful feeling, but also to have that village is a necessary reality so that I’m able to pursue my passion both outside of motherhood and outside my career.”
Daniel Julez J. Smith Jr., Solange's son, is now 16 years old.
Ciara
Taking your own stance on motherhood can sometimes be easier said than done. Ciara once shared, “Being a mom is not about doing what everybody else does. You might take some inspiration and advice, but it’s really about designing your own game plan.”
Ciara recently delivered a baby boy, Win, six months ago. Win joined big brother Future, 6, and big sister, Sienna, 3.
Mariah Carey
One aspect of motherhood is to think about what you can give your children as a legacy, and Mariah Carey, mom to twins Monroe and Moroccan, 9, summed it up well. “The most important thing I can do for my children is give them what I didn’t really have: a chance to live in a safe and secure home surrounded by people who love and support them unconditionally.”
