Charlize Theron Raised Her 2 Adopted Kids without 'Ton of Help' — She’s Ready to Quit Job for Them

Not having the perfect living conditions as a child motivated South African-born actress Charlize Theron to dream of adoption. Becoming one of the world's highest-paid actresses with various accolades did not deter her from pursuing her wish to nurture kids, and today, she willingly parents two of her own without help.

Behind Charlize Theron's success is her drive to succeed as a movie star and her dream to make a change as a mother, giving her kids the childhood she never had.

The "Mad Max: Fury Road" star was born on August 7, 1975, and raised on a farm near Benoni, South Africa. She was an only child to Gerda and Charles, yet her early years were marred with confusion.

Her father was always drunk, and often, he would attack her mother. Eventually, Theron's mother shot him in self-defense, and sadly, he died.

A year after the tragedy, 16-year-old Theron moved to Italy to pursue a modeling career. Two years later, she landed in New York, where she continued modeling and later took dance classes at Joffrey Ballet School.

Though a knee injury deprived her of becoming a ballet dancer, she did not give up. The South African native turned to acting, and in 1997, she earned her first lead role in "The Devil's Advocate."

Following her role as serial killer Aileen Wuornos in 2003's "Monster," Theron made history as the first African to win an Oscar. Still, this was merely the beginning of her success; she racked up more roles and awards, becoming one of the highest-paid Hollywood celebrities.

Despite her historical success, the actress prefers to be a single woman, but as she basks in her singlehood, she is consumed with parenting her two adoptive kids.

Becoming a single mom to Jackson, whom she adopted in 2012, and August in 2015, has been overwhelming, and she has barely had time to keep romantic relationships. She clarified:

"I want to be clear. I was raising two small children, and your life just becomes very all-consuming, you know, they need you for everything."

Charlize Theron Dreamed Of Adoption

The actress was raised mainly by her mother, even before her father's death. As an only child, she often wished for a sibling but never asked her mother to have another baby.

Instead, she opted to have a sibling via adoption. This was because Theron lived in Apartheid South Africa and was exposed to orphanages and less-provided kids.

Theron, obsessed with being an ever-present parent, is handling motherhood duties alone— without a host of staff at her beck and call.

At age 8, she understood compassion and begged her mother to adopt a child during Christmas. In an interview with Diane von Furstenberg on her podcast "InCharge with DVF", the "Monster" star admitted that she always felt connected to motherhood, specifically through adoption.

Being raised in South Africa made her conscious of helpless children, and when she started making a name for herself and living comfortably, she knew it was time to parent a child. After welcoming her two kids, the "The Old Guard" star boasted about the experience. According to her, it was empowering. She added:

"The fact that I got to choose when I wanted to be a mom, where I travel a lot, and I see a lot of young girls not have that choice. There's a great power in choosing when to be a mother and doing it when your body, your mind and everything is celebrating all of that. I know that this is what I can handle."

Charlize Theron's Motherhood via Adoption

During her past relationships, Theron was open about the future she had hoped to have. The actress notified her partners about her passion for having adopted kids, explaining that it was always her first option.

In 2012, before filming "Mad Max: Fury Road," she officially joined the mother team. The Hollywood icon welcomed baby Jackson whom she bonded with instantly.

Theron stated that she was not specific about gender or race, but she believed that there was a baby made for her. Interestingly, her two adoptees were born in America but shared her African lineage.

Three years after her first motherhood experience, the onscreen star felt it was time to expand the family, and she added a younger child, August.

Despite the hectic work schedule, Theron spends quality time nurturing, teaching, and cooking for her kids. Since the beginning, she has always loved intentional parenting and wanted to equip her kids with confidence.

The doting mother of two who champions the call for better representation in Hollywood and has witnessed inequality following her childhood in Apartheid South Africa yearns for her children to embrace their uniqueness and thrive in any environment. She said:

"Building confidence for them right now is an oath I made to myself when I brought them home. They need to know where they come from and be proud of that… I want to surround them in a world where they feel they belong and they can shine and they can live to their full potential."

One of the best ways she intends to impact her mini-mes is by taking charge as a single mother juggling acting and career while letting them understand the importance of working hard.

Theron, obsessed with being an ever-present parent, is handling motherhood duties alone—without a host of staff at her beck and call. The actress admitted, "I have one nanny, so it's not like I have a ton of help," yet she enjoyed the process of raising her kids, even though it came with sacrifices.

However, in 2019, after undergoing three surgeries and becoming preoccupied with promoting two films, Theron was in a fix as she had no nanny at the time. But not for long, as she relied on her loved ones, including family members and friends, for help. The actress confirmed to US Weekly:

"Every single person in my life who is like my family has just stepped in and it's really meant a lot to me. Tonight I was, like, writing [while] a friend of mine was watching... My mom is cooking dinner for the kids right now."

Though in the past, Theron cited her passion for tasking workload as the reason she stopped modeling and pursued acting, the actress unashamedly expressed that as an older parent, she would easily sacrifice acting for motherhood.