Naomi Watts shares her big parenting regret: What's yours?

by

Carolyn Robertson

posted in Celebrities

Actress Naomi Watts seems to live a pretty charmed life: She has a wildly successful career, a handsome and talented partner in Liev Schreiber, two beautiful sons and enough money to cover the bills and then some.

Still, like most of us, the 45-year-old 21 Grams star says that she has some regrets about the choices she's made. Looking effortlessly gorgeous in the pages of the October issue of More Magazine, Naomi opens up about motherhood, and about the things she wishes she'd done differently.

Asked what she'd change if she could start over again, Naomi - who once admitted she'd have another baby if she knew it would be a girl - gave an honest answer that struck a chord with me: "Have a bigger family," she says. "I should have had more kids, started younger."

Though many stars have had babies well into their forties, it sounds like Naomi has closed that chapter on her life. Now that her boys Sasha and Kai are 7 and 5 years old, she says she can barely remember giving birth to them.

"I feel like the births of my children were so huge, but I don't remember either of them well," she admits. "I wish I could have it all back but without the pain."

As a rule, I try to steer clear of regret. It's a time suck, and it's pointless to boot. If I have a chance to make something right, I should do it. If there's no going back, then all I can do is learn the lesson and move on. So I don't really regret the times I've yelled without wanting to, or the times I've been late or frazzled or frustrated.

I must admit, though: I sometimes wonder if I'll share Naomi's family size regret down the road. Having babies was not easy for me. Physically, thankfully, there were no problems. Mentally, however, it's a very different story, and part of me feels as though I actually would not survive a third round of postpartum depression. Even though I know my baby days are behind me, even though I have two kids who I love like crazy, and I feel blessed and comfortable in our little life, every once in a while I hear that voice in the back of my head whispering that the only child I'll ever regret is the one I don't have.

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Photos: ©Mark Abrahams/More Magazine, REX USA, PR Photos