Why Mothers Of One Are Steamed Over Elizabeth Banks' New Interview

   By SheSpeaksTeam  Jan 28, 2013
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Moms everywhere are shaking their heads after actress Elizabeth Banks admitted in a recent People interview that women only become “real moms” when they have had at least two kids.  Banks’ controversial slip-up has moms with one kid up in arms over the actress’s statement.

During the People interview The Hunger Games actress related how much her life changed when she brought her second child into the world in November. Banks says, “You don’t realize how easy one is until you have two. Now I’m really a mom. Oh, I am a mom now! This is for serious — I am responsible for two people now.”

Whether Banks was just trying to be funny or seriously feels moms of one kids are not really moms, she has certainly struck a chord with some. The Stir’s Julie Ryan Evans writes, “It's so rude and so insulting to parents of only children. Whether she meant it that way or not, it's incredibly insensitive. I had only child for more than five years while we struggled with secondary infertility, and for years I thought my son would be an only child. So I'm especially sensitive to comments people make like this.”

The actress also managed to make herself sound a little out of touch to most moms when she described a recent short stint of 10 days that she and her husband had to care for her children without the help of nannies. Banks says, “We had no help, no nannies, no babysitters. It was crazy. You forget how difficult it is to wake up in the middle of the night, how exhausting it is. I lost all my nails. I did dishes and cleaned bottles for 10 days so I lost all those nails!”

What do you think of Elizabeth Banks’ recent interview with People?

Do you find Elizabeth Banks’ comments about motherhood to be out of touch or offensive?
 

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Jessica1583 by Jessica1583 | NORTH BERGEN, NJ
Feb 05, 2013

I think it is hysterical how we can let a celebrity make a comment on what a "real mom" is and society gets angry... In this day and age a "real mom" can be a man, two men, two women, a transgender, even a nun (not through conception), but we still get our panties in a bunch over a celebrity comment. I think that people who take her comment to heart are insecure on their abilities to be a "real mom" and that is what hits home. Not her statement.

cardreader by cardreader | Dudley, MA
Jan 29, 2013

I don't find her comment as offensive but poorly stated and the comment was not complete. I think she was referring to the feeling," I can do this I did it before". A mother knows she is a mother at labor or as soon as that adopted baby is in her arms.. With one child, every adventure with the baby is new, good, and a terrifying feeling.With the second child alot of the feelings of I can't do this is not so loud.

Kay3131 by Kay3131 | New York, NY
Jan 29, 2013

I didn't get the feeling, when I read the article, she was inferring that a Mother of one child isn't really a Mom. I think she was sharing that having two children is harder, and how the added responsibilities affect her.

cocoabella by cocoabella | EL PASO, TX
Jan 29, 2013

I am the mom of an only child and take offense at such remarks. I struggled for yrs to conceive and did so after infertility treatment and then lost one of my twins in my pregnancy. ( a rare occurance) I consider my son my miracle child. I couldn't go through all of that again, the infertility treatment , the miscarriage. People need to think before they speak. It is easy for some people to conceive and carry to term. For some of us, that is not the case! And really, how hard it is to raise multiple children when you have nannies doing most the work and tons of money. Some people choose only children b/c of financial constraints.

boundlesslives by boundlesslives | S OZONE PARK, NY
Jan 28, 2013

You're a mom whether you have one kid or ten. It just gets harder with more. She is very fortunate to have nannies where some women have to take care of their children on their own. I am fortunate to have the help of my mom and grandmother otherwise I would have to stay home. She shouldn't discredit women with one child because she can't speak for everyone else.