Watch: Leslie Mann Reveals the Parenting “Mistake” She Made With Daughters Maude, Iris Apatow
Leslie Mann wasn’t exactly taking spa weekends while raising her kids.
The This Is 40 star got candid about how she approached motherhood back when her daughters Maude Apatow, 28, and Iris Apatow, 23—who she shares with husband Judd Apatow—were younger and why it left her with little time to prioritize her own needs.
“When my kids were little, I didn’t have self-care,” Mann told E! News in an exclusive joint interview with Spa Weekend costars Isla Fisher, Anna Faris and Michelle Buteau. “I didn’t even know how to do it. I didn’t even think of myself, because I just didn’t—and that was a mistake. I think it’s important to at least sleep.”
These days, the 54-year-old is able to make more time to focus on her own self-care.
“Now that my kids are older, I’m better with it,” she explained. “I have more time for myself. I don’t know how you do it when you’re a mom of young kids.”
“But, also, I have a 28-year-old now and a 23-year-old,” Mann added later, “and they’re awesome.”
Fisher, meanwhile, stressed the impact parent’s self-care can have on their kids.
“Your children’s security and safety depends on your security and safety,” the Confessions of a Shopaholic—who shares three kids with ex Sascha Baron-Cohen—said, “so every time you take that selfcare choice, you’re actually, first of all, modeling to them what it looks like to take care of yourself and put yourself and your needs first.”
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Similarly, Faris pointed to being able to be present with her son Jack, 13, whom she shares with ex-husband Chris Pratt, as he grows up, will play a huge part in how he looks back on this time.
“I want my son’s memories to be of me as a happy person, laughing, easygoing,” she noted. “I don’t want my son to have memories where he’s having to walk around on eggshells with me and my temperament.”
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And for her part, Buteau—who shares 7-year-old twins Hazel and Otis with husband Gijs van der Most—fully agreed with the sentiment.
“It’s also showing by example,” she said. “So, if you are loving your job and you are loving your life and you’re taking care of yourself and your kids are learning, ‘Oh, being an adult is fun, and I can’t wait to be an adult!'”
The Survival of The Thickest star continued, “But, if you’re like, ‘Oh, this is really hard and why is this always happening and why do I have so much to do?’ They’re gonna be like, ‘Can I stay at home forever? Because being an adult sucks.'”
So, the four were really able to practice what they preached by making self-care an important part of their experience filming Spa Weekend, which hits theaters Aug. 21.
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“I think being on the set was the first time I had nice feet,” Buteau joked. “To Leslie’s credit, she’s like, ‘We’re shooting a movie about being at a spa,’ but she’s like, ‘Also, get a massage on the weekend.'”
Keep reading for more about stars and their mini-me kids…
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