Kristen Wiig has always been one of the most relatable stars in Hollywood, and after she spoke out about the realities of parenting during the COVID-19 pandemic, she only strengthened her position.
As she promoted the long-awaited movie Wonder Woman 1984, the star told People, 'I love that I can be with my family. My babies aren't even walking yet. I want to be home with them, so that has been a positive for me, of course.'
'And my parents, I haven't seen them in a really long time, so we've been FaceTiming with the babies every day. They're living in such a bubble, and that I can't have them interact and be social has been a little bit challenging.'
The difficulty of being separated from family was unfortunately experienced by many parents this year, with restrictions making it difficult to travel or banning households mixing.
This was particularly trying for new parents, who found themselves without any help and support and left their babies lacking much-needed socialisation.
Rebecca, 37, can relate. 'My little boy was six months old when the first lockdown hit, and he went from starting to enjoy baby classes, recognising certain people like his grandparents and becoming social, to only seeing us each day.
'I didn’t realise how much that impacted him until the summer when a family friend stuck her head in his pram to say hello and he burst into tears – he never would have done that before!'
While the pandemic has gone from bad to worse in the US and left parents in fear of leaving the house, the situation in the UK temporarily improved over the summer and gave children a chance to interact with others again.
'I’m so pleased that we then had the summer to meet up with people and get him used to being around other people, and he’s now in nursery which makes such a difference', Rebecca continues. 'But with another lockdown looming I’m already trying to work out ways that I can keep him socialised and used to being around a range of different people without breaking the rules.
'It hadn’t occurred to me the first time round just what a difference it would make!'
While famous parents like Kim Kardashian make the pandemic seem non-existent, it's refreshing to see Kristen, 48, being open and honest about her experience.
Earlier this year, she told InStyle that she and fiancé Avi Rothman had barely left the house since the birth of their children.
'We've sort of been quarantining since January because of the babies,' she said. 'We're nesting, and we're tired. Having two nine-month-olds is a lot!
'But they're growing, and I can't wait to see them every morning. It's not all just lying around and smiling at babies, though. It's overwhelming to think about everyone else who's struggling, and it's hard to be good knowing that.'
The star spent years trying for a baby with her partner via IVF and eventually they were successful, but it wasn't a walk in the park.
Kristen went onto admit, 'We've been together for about five years, and three of them were spent in an IVF haze. Emotionally, spiritually, and medically, it was probably the most difficult time in my life. I wasn't myself.
'There are so many emotions that go with it — you're always waiting by the phone and getting test results, and it was just bad news after bad news. Occasionally there would be a good month, but then it was just more bad news. There was a lot of stress and heartache.'
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