Tia Mowry Talks about Waiting till Her Mid-30s to Have Children

Tia Mowry-Hardrict is getting real with fans about why she waited till her mid-30s to have children and some of the downsides she suffered as a result of her choice.

Tia, 40, is set to star in the Netflix series “Family Reunion,” but even while at work, the actress continues to discharge her duties in a role she’s held since 2011: Mom.

Tia was pumping milk (for her 14-month-old daughter Cairo) behind the scenes of “Family Reunion” when Netflix Family’s “Pump and Dump” stopped by for a chat about how she balances work and motherhood.

Amidst discussions about society’s unreasonable standards for motherhood, the former child star pointed out that she chose to wait till her mid-30s to become a mom because now, women “have dreams, we have aspirations, we have goals.”

TIA'S STEPS

Tia continued:

“When I was younger, I was focusing on my career with ‘Sister, Sister,’ and I was in college and I was focused on that. Once I had all my ducks in a row — not in a complete line, at least the ducks were there — and then I was like, ‘Okay, you know, I can do this.”

DOWNSIDES TO THE DECISION

According to Tia, that choice did not come without consequences. The “Double Wedding” star announced her second pregnancy in 2017 when she was 39, and it was no smooth ride.

“Of course, because I was older, my ankles swelled up,” Tia shared. “I couldn’t even fit my shoes anymore. I had to buy a whole new set of shoes. It was crazy.”

THE PARENTING JOURNEY

Tia and her actor husband Cory Hardrict welcomed their first child, son Cree on June 28, 2011, while daughter Cairo was born on May 5, 2018. Despite taking her time with launching into motherhood, Tia appears to be very sure about how she wants to raise her kids.

As far back as 2015, she told Yahoo Parenting that she’s a less-traditional parent unlike her twin sister, Tamera Mowry-Housley who also has two kids, six-year-old son Aden and four-year-old daughter Ariah.

TO SPANK OR NOT TO SPANK

A few days ago, Tia confirmed her parenting style when she said on “The Breakfast Club” that she doesn’t spank her children even though Tamera does hers.

“If you’re spanking your kid, in my opinion, it’s because of you; it’s because of you and where you are in your headspace. You’re impatient, you just want to get this done and over with whereas I feel like if you don’t spank them, then it takes more time, you have to talk to them, you have to explain.”

Despite their parenting differences, Tia notes that she and Tamera “give each other advice and learn from each other.”