Drew Barrymore is one of America's most positive forces. But part of the reason why she's so positive is because she works hard to process a lot of the challenges in her life.
While most people know that Drew had a rough childhood as a child actress, they also know that she was able to rebound and become much more than just a spokesperson for substance abuse. Drew also had a few public divorces that made things difficult for her. While she's still on excellent terms with ex-husband Will Kopelman, whom she shares two young children with, Drew has admitted that it's taken years to get to a good place.
And perhaps that's why Drew, in a way, appreciates the struggle. She understands that some parts of life are meant to be challenging — and that accepting that challenge is a step further toward personal growth.
In an interview with You magazine, Drew admitted that she rarely befriended people who felt like they could coast through both life and parenting responsibilities.
"I'm unguarded because I don't want to come across as someone who has their [expletive] together," she said. "I'm not a total clown but I don’t relate to people who glide through life or parenting."
"I relate to struggle, conquering it, the humour, the messiness of life," she added. "I can't stand fakeness." That means you're probably not going to see any filtered photos of Drew and her kids anytime soon. While it seems like only yesterday when she announced her pregnancy, daughter Olive is 9 and daughter Frankie is 7.
Drew's new cookbook, called Rebel Homemaker, is also sure not to advertise itself as something it's not. Drew fully admits that for her, it's less about flashiness and fancy ingredients and more about family togetherness.
"I relate food to love, to feeding my family," she explained to the publication.
"I didn't want the food in the book to look perfect," she added. "I'm a mom, not a chef." That's the type of attitude that makes Drew feel so relatable. She's not out to be perfect; she's just out to be herself — and hopefully spread some cheer along the way.
Drew also opened up about her divorce in 2016. Since her own parents got divorced when she was only 9, she had a fear of someday doing the same with her kids. When she married Will, she intended for the relationship to last forever. But sometimes it doesn't always work out that way.
"Divorce was my worst fear," she stated. "It was something I never wanted to put my own children through. I felt broken. Truly, honestly broken. I made some big, sweeping changes to my life and luckily I made them right before the [health crisis] because I fear the place I would have been in if I hadn't."
To admit that is quite powerful — and it's something that many celebrities never share.
"You have to believe during this rollercoaster of life that you will get back up, but there was something very high stakes about this as my children were involved," Drew explained. "Being a parent is the most important thing, but raising babies is terrifying and exciting and very hard."
Drew has been mature enough to realize that life goes on. And she's got nothing but compliments for Will's current wife, Allie.
"She's a dream: sweet, kind and funny," Drew stated. "I have to hold back from being overly friendly; I have to give her and Will their space. I feel so lucky. I've got this woman who, thank god, embraces me and doesn't want me out of the picture. She has wonderful parents and a lovely sister. I worship the ground she walks on."
But she admits that it wasn't necessarily the smoothest transition — especially living such a public life. This brought about even more struggles with parenting that Drew could have never anticipated. Divorce and co-parenting aren't easy, and she knows that not many single women open up about what's really going on day to day, often to keep up appearances.
"Will and I have worked so hard over the years," she said. "I can't tell you how hard it was. People who make co-parenting look easy … well, good for you. He and I really tried and it was messy and painful at times but we kept our eyes on the prize of our kids."
Even with two people who have love and respect for each other, it can still be hard. Splitting up responsibilities, scheduling visits, and missing out on a few key holidays if your kids are celebrating elsewhere can be tough. For Drew and Will, it's taken about five years to get to a place where everyone's content.
If you're done with the influencers and those who act like parenting is a breeze, then Drew is the perfect person to start following. Her home is filled with nothing but love, and she recognizes that every life will contain periods of highs and lows. But she keeps it together since she puts her daughters first — even if it's hard work.
