Kimora Lee Simmons on Motherhood: 'That's What I Was Made to Do'
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Proudly proclaiming herself a “very good” mom, Kimora Lee Simmons says the proof rests with her children, themselves. Ming Lee, 9 ½, Aoki Lee, 7, and Kenzo Lee, 5 months, are “fun,” “sweet,” “well-behaved” and “mannerable” kids, the 34-year-old Baby Phat CEO tells OK! “It’s a successful thing we’ve got going on.” Kimora adds,
“The most fulfilling thing in my life is to be a parent and a mother…That’s what I was made to do. There’s times when I’ve been the mom and the dad. I’m very good at it; that’s what I do. It’s my thing.”
Although she admits she is “scared” to juggle her various professional commitments and her ever-growing family with husband Djimon Hounsou, she hints that a fourth child is likely. “I’m young, so why not?” she asks before adding, “I don’t put a number on it, but I wouldn’t mind — whatever happens. If it’s four or five, I wouldn’t mind.”
“I think I’ve been blessed enough to take care of them and blessed enough to have the wherewithal to deal with them, and the mental capacity and the patience, so I don’t see why I couldn’t or why I wouldn’t. I love it. It’s the most rewarding thing of my life, and I think Djimon feels the same way.”
That’s not to say that a pregnancy announcement is imminent, however! “I would like a little moment to be free to eat what I want and have a little drink and to enjoy my body post-baby, since the baby has moved out,” she points out. “We always call it the baby condo that they left behind — you know, the belly. Before I get a new occupant in the condo, I’d like a little moment of freedom.”
Kimora promised that when she has news, she’ll share it!
“I’ll let you know — I can’t keep a secret, I have a big mouth. And if I don’t have a big mouth, I’ll have a big belly, so you’ll see one or the other. But so far, nothing yet.”
Click below for Kimora’s thoughts on the differences between baby girls and baby boys.
Ming and Aoki are enjoying their new baby brother, and lend a helping hand whenever possible. “They’re into changing the diaper, helping warm the bottle or if I’m breastfeeding, bringing me my little baby pillow,” Kimora shares. “They’re very supportive.”
When pressed to offer up a theory on why the girls have been so welcoming, Kimora suggests that the age difference plays a part, as well as the fact that Kenzo is the only boy. “The baby’s a completely different world,” Kimora notes. “It’s night and day.”
“He eats differently, he’s rougher, he wants to sit up, he wants to walk. He’s strong-willed and strong-minded. It’s a different personality. He’s not sitting around and wanting to play with dolls all day. He’s not to the age where he’s playing with anything all day, but he’s definitely a stronger, more active infancy. You can tell. It’s how he eats – it’s very different.”
Although life as a mom-of-three is “a lot of fun,” Kimora admits that she often feels “drained and exhausted” – a state of being she says most “Hollywood moms” aren’t entirely honest about. “I’m not the Hollywood girl who’s going to tell you I’m juggling it all and everything’s fine,” she promises. “Like, I had a breakdown today, and I cried when I missed the alarm lady.”
“I have three children. I am not Hollywood perfect; ‘I just won an Oscar yesterday; I’m writing my fifth bestseller book.’ No. I’m a busy woman. I’m juggling a lot.”
As for body-after-baby, Kimora again says that staying realistic is key. “I think it’s way too much pressure to put on women to be perfect and get back to perfect shape,” she opines before asking, “Perfect shape for whom?”
“I feel perfect the way that I am. I’m very happy, very healthy. I think I’m taking great care of myself. I don’t really put a number or size on it. And it’s OK. I don’t think you should push it and overdo it.”
Djimon is a “hands-on” dad, Kimora says, changing diapers, giving baths and taking baby boy for walks. “Anything that has to do with his son,” she explains, “there’s nothing that he wouldn’t do.” That heightened level of involvement is traceable to Djimon’s African heritage, according to Kimora, where “spiritually and in the upbringing, it’s a little different.”
“They’re used to taking care of lots of kids in the family, and being very hands-on with the family, and pitching in wherever it’s needed, whether it’s in our home or in our family life. He’s very supportive. He takes the girls to school sometimes; he picks them up. He’s at every parent meeting and in every performance as well, unless he’s out of the country on set.”
Calling Kenzo the “common denominator in the family,” Kimora says that her newest addition has “brought both sides … together.” She elaborates,
“He’s helped us grow and have a bond and an attachment that we would not normally feel. A baby brings everything together. Life that probably was OK is even better. There’s nothing better than kids to me.”
Ming and Aoki are Kimora’s children with ex-husband Russell Simmons.
Source: OK!
