Halle Berry is gearing up for the release of her new film Bruised, which she directed and stars in. She is also a mother to two children and in a loving relationship with R&B singer Van Hunt. And while it may seem like she is balancing everything gracefully, the Oscar-winning actress questions her parenting, particularly co-parenting with her exes.
Halle opened up to Women's Health about the realities of co-parenting with her children's fathers.
The Bruised star shares her 13-year-old daughter Nahla with her ex-boyfriend Gabriel Aubry and her 8-year-old son Maceo with her ex-husband Olivier Martinez. The guilt she's experienced in co-parenting with her exes has even led her to seek professional help. "I have two different daddies, and I see [my kids] half the time," she said.
"That's a lot to manage. So, I have to go sometimes to talk to people to help me figure out, 'How do I make the best decisions for my children? How do I help them deal with this life that we — my dads and I — have given them?'"
She continued, "I feel guilty a lot. You think, God, I should've done better. But at the same time, I'm reminded that we always have to take care of ourselves first, because I can't be a good mother for my children if I'm not fundamentally happy and feeling good about myself."
Halle has had a very public child support battle with Gabriel. The actress has joint custody with the model, however, she was ordered to pay $16,000 a month in child support while also footing the bill for their daughter's private school tuition. The couple dated from 2005 until 2010 and welcomed their daughter in 2008.
The court decision was made in 2014, however, in February of this year, the former beauty queen made an Instagram post that said, "Women don't owe you sh-t." Many fans believed her to be speaking about her child support payments and a debate broke out in the comment section.
However, through all the ups and downs she's experienced co-parenting, there's one principle that she noted. "We may not be able to have everything all the time, but we can have all things that matter throughout this life."
Featured image by Presley Ann/Getty Images for Netflix