Mariska Hargitay: My Timing Has Been Perfect
 Courtesy Ladies Home Journal |
After losing her mother, actress Jayne Mansfield, in a deadly car accident when she was a toddler, the feelings of guilt and vulnerability that constantly surrounded Mariska Hargitay followed her well into her adult years. Admitting to Ladies Home Journal that she "just didn’t think I was very good," Mariska explains that the lack of her mother’s guidance resulted in low self-esteem. "All my life I’d had this problem with following through, not feeling that I was worth it. Not having a mother makes you think, ‘If only I’d been better, she wouldn’t have left me,’" reveals the actress.
Tides changed, however, when in 2006 Mariska and her husband Peter Hermann welcomed their first child, August Miklos Friedrich. Calling her now 2-year-old son her "oxygen in my water," a proud Mariska is convinced that living her life at her own steady pace — without a specific timeline drawn out — is ultimately what has granted her great happiness. "I’m so grateful I was given these opportunities at a point in my life when I could really handle it all," says the 44-year-old.
"I got my gig late, got married late, had my kid late — and none of it came a minute too soon."
With a successful 10-season run as a detective on her hit show Law & Order: SVU, Mariska reveals that she would not be against hanging up her hat and dedicating herself full-time to her family. However, with no immediate plans to completely part ways with the series, Mariska may simply be in need for an extended break as the couple are currently "trying" to make August a big brother!
Source: Ladies Home Journal
