Chelsea Clinton never asked for the spotlight — it just happened once her father, Bill Clinton, became president. Soon, everyone would get to know the Clinton family. We may have met Chelsea as a preteen, but these days she's a mother herself — and she likely modeled many of her techniques after her own mom, Hillary.
That said, even though she once lived in the White House, Chelsea Clinton is a lot like us. The former first daughter is the mother of Jasper, Charlotte, and Aidan with husband Marc Mezvinsky, whom she married in 2010. Now at the age of 40, Chelsea is juggling it all. Also an author, she recently published the children's book She Persisted in Sports: American Olympians Who Changed the Game.
Speaking of, she's still a strong activist. She's the vice chair of the Clinton Foundation, and she has constantly pushed for women's rights. She believes in the power of women. And she's trying her hardest to spread that message to her kids, all three of whom are lucky to have Hillary as a grandmother.
But even though she's been kicking butt, Chelsea still has mom guilt. Here's why.
For Chelsea — and every other mom out there — this year has been particularly hard. Typically, being a working mom is tough yet manageable. But now, with everyone at home, it can be hard to get through the day. In fact, giving anything 100% of your attention is more of a struggle now than ever before.
A lot of Chelsea's mom guilt comes from online schooling. While distance learning is the best way to prevent teachers and students from getting ill, it's still hard to work while watching a 4-year-old try to attend class through Zoom. This reality, itself, is something that nobody could have imagined years prior.
"[There are times when] I'm on my Zoom and [4-year-old son] Aidan's science class is crashing and then I'm off my Zoom rushing to fix the science class," she told People. "And then I can't stay with him to make sure he gets back on the science class. Then I'm running back into the next room to get back on my Zoom and then I feel like, 'Oh my gosh, I'm not doing either thing very well at the moment, but hopefully doing each as best as I can.'"
"There's so many moments like that every day for working parents," she admitted, "so trying to just be honest about that — honest about the privilege for those of us who can work from home, honest about how much balance still has to happen, honest about how much will fall out of balance, at least some days … the dishes may not get done until right before dinner or maybe not even until after dinner for the whole day, and that's okay."
It's a reminder that every mom needs. This year, we shouldn't focus on perfect — we should congratulate ourselves on "good enough." Some of these pressures are too much for anyone to endure. If Chelsea Clinton is struggling, that's saying something.
But even if she's well-aware that people have limits, it can still be hard to come to terms with. "Lots of guilt and navigation and just trying to do the best we can every day, and some days the best is going to be better than others," she said. Being a mom of three is hard enough, even without factoring in the global crisis we're in.
In fact, all summer, Chelsea and her family spent time with Bill and Hillary. And they probably appreciated the extra help. While it might not have been the summer that Chelsea and her husband had dreamed of, it was still good that they turned a negative into a positive. That extra time with their grandparents must have meant a lot to the kids.
"It was really wonderful for our kids to have that time with their grandparents — especially for Charlotte and Aidan to be with my parents in the season from late spring really through the whole summer, where they were able to plant a garden together and tend a garden together and pick and harvest the food together and eat the food together and play so many games," Chelsea said. "I was really grateful for that time." Bill and Hillary probably didn't mind it, either.
While Chelsea is a notable only child, her husband is one of 11. So he's likely a natural when it comes to entertaining a crowd. Marc's parents were also big into adopting children. In fact, five of his siblings were adopted. His family also notably helped refugee families, showcasing that they have big hearts and care for others.
The one negative aspect of having a lot of siblings is the fact that Marc and Chelsea have felt somewhat disconnected from them due to everything that's happening. Family parties and get-togethers aren't happening as often to keep everyone safe and healthy. So Chelsea has also explored new ways to try to stay in touch with as many people as she can.
"I'm super thankful [my kids have] had so much time over the last seven months with my parents [and] super aware of how much time we haven't had with other parts of our family," she told People. "We've just tried to figure out ways to remain connected, especially for our kids with our cousins." This is yet another statement that many moms can relate to.
In fact, if anything, this year has proven how important family is. For many of us, family had provided a lot of love and support when it comes to child care. They also cheer us up when we're down. Based on strict yet important guidelines, many of us haven't seen some family members in person for months.
This year hasn't been easy for anyone. But no matter what, it's important that we stick together and remind ourselves of all the hurt that's out there. Now's the time to be kind to the people around you; they may have unexpectedly lost a lot during this year. And it seems like this type of attitude is exactly what Chelsea has.
So moms, give yourself a break. Do the best you can, and that's good enough. If Chelsea Clinton feels like the mom guilt is extreme, then all of us should take a breather. This year, we'll all come out stronger for surviving this together. And once it's conquered, things will get back to normal.
