Shakira on Being a Mom: It "Forced Me to Reprioritize"
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In an interview with Parents Latina magazine, Shakira confesses it's been quite the balancing act to raise 2-year-old Milan and newborn Sasha while working on a Spanish album. The Colombian singer admits music was her first baby, saying, "I apply the same amount of dedication to being a mom as I do to my music." The full interview appears in the Spring issue of the magazine, out now, but read on for more of Shakira's revealing quotes.
- On how her life has changed now that she has two sons: "Becoming a mom forced me to reprioritize and make room for the things that are most important, while recognizing that there are things I can let go of and the world won't crumble around me."
- On raising Colombian-Spanish children in the US: "In Spain, parents speak to their children as equals, and I feel that the children respond in turn. But in all three cultures, parents are attentive to their children. Their dad [soccer star Gerard Piqué] and I both grew up in very close-knit families, and that has made us openly affectionate parents."
- On teaching her sons to respect women: "Growing up with a working mom is a start. I also think their dad is a good example of a modern man to emulate. Gerard and I pretty much share all parenting responsibilities, although I'm definitely the disciplinarian."
- On which language Milan is picking up faster: "I would have to say Spanish, since I'm the one he spends the most time with and it's my first language. I talk to him as much as possible — it serves as bonding time and helps his language-comprehension skills."
- On the preferred playlist at home: "We listen to Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Green Day, Pearl Jam, Carlos Vives, old-school salsa — something for every mood. Milan loves songs with a lot of percussion; I think babies are naturally drawn to those kinds of rhythms."