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As a '90s kid, watching Sister, Sister [3] was just a way of life. Little did I know, however, that Tia Mowry would grow up to not only have two kids [4] — Cree, 8, and Cairo, 15 months — but that she'd be a fountain of parenting knowledge [5]. We caught up with Tia after she stopped by Scooby-Doo's 50th Anniversary Celebration in Los Angeles, CA, and she dished on everything from battling mom guilt [6] to how to get kids to eat vegetables [7].
"I remember feeling guilty right away [8] because I would leave my baby when he was sleeping and then I would come home when he was asleep," Tia told POPSUGAR. "I gave myself a self-talk and said, 'You know what? You should not be feeling guilty [9] about this at all.' I think it's normal and natural for you to be overwhelmed with that feeling. But what usually helps me within life in general, is just changing my perspective on the situation. I told myself, 'You know what? I am providing for my children.'"
Though it can be easy to be mired by self-deprecation, Tia is reminding mothers that setting a good example for your children — whether you stay at home with the kids or work in an office — is what's important at the end of the day. She shared that though it was tough to go back to work three months after having Cairo, she powered through her negative emotions.
"My children see that I am working hard for what I want in life, then that is going to be a huge example for them," she explained. "Therefore, me working is no longer a negative thing. I turned it into something positive, and that's what gets me through being a working mom [11]."
While balancing parenting duties — like breast-pumping — with filming a movie, she gave an emotional speech to the staff once the film was wrapped up.
"Just because you have a baby, it doesn't necessarily mean that you have to not go for your goals, your aspirations, or your dreams."
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"I wanted to be an example for women out there that just because you have a baby, it doesn't necessarily mean that you have to not go for your goals, your aspirations, or your dreams," Tia explained of the speech she gave the staff. "I wanted to show them and be an example and say, 'Look, you can do it. You can get out there, not only help provide for your family but more importantly, go for your goals, your dreams, and your aspirations.'"
Building up other mothers has become a huge focus for the actress. So much so that she has an entire YouTube channel — Tia Mowry's Quick Fix [12] — dedicated to helping women live their best lives. After using the internet and social media to get parenting tips herself, she figured she'd share some of the things she knows through her channel, from easy meals to ways to sneak in a little self-care.
One of her most useful tips to date? How she gets her kiddos to eat fruits and vegetables without complaining. "I incorporate fruit and vegetables into their diets by adding natural sweeteners to foods to make it a little more appealing," Tia shared. "Whenever you're trying to add a new food to the repertoires, include foods your kids are already familiar with."
She continued: "For instance, my daughter Cairo loves things that are sweet, right? She loves things like honey. So if I'm incorporating a new fruit — like say a blueberry — that's so tart I'll add a little bit of honey to it. Then all of a sudden, she's in love with it. It's all about adding ingredients that they're already familiar with to that new ingredient so that it's not so shocking to them, and I really find that it works. "