Being a mother can sometimes be a lonely job. You have so many responsibilities and always feel like you are not enough. This can be compounded when you're a working mother. Actresses are not exempt from this mom guilt, as seen on a recent episode of The View.
Katherine Heigl appeared on the talk show on Monday, November 28, 2022, to promote her Netflix series Firefly Lane. She opened up about adopting her daughter Naleigh in 2009 and her struggles balancing work and motherhood. It’s hard to have it all, all at the same time, she confessed.
"They've told us we can have it all. We can have careers and have families and it's all gonna be great, it's all gonna work out," Katherine said. The reality is much harder.
Katherine described her adoption process with her daughter Naleigh in 2009. "Naleigh came to us at 9 months, and three days later, I got on a plane and went to work in Atlanta,” she stated. It was not easy for her to be away from her new daughter.
Katherine was plagued by fear that she was missing out on important bonding time with Naleigh. She feared she was not a good mom when she was working on Grey’s Anatomy. This is a very relatable experience for many working mothers.
"I never saw that baby. I was at work with three triplets who were playing my god daughter and I spent more time with them then I did with my new daughter,” Katherine recalled. She knew Naleigh was in good hands with her husband, country singer Josh Kelley, but this led to more insecurities and fears.
Katherine feared she missed the window of opportunity to bond with Naleigh. She thought she had blown it. "I was always afraid that I had missed that opportunity to really bond with her and that she didn't love me," Katherine confessed.
Another appearance on The View helped vanquish Katherine’s fears. Her daughter Naleigh was a toddler at the time and was watching her mom from the audience. Naleigh decided to run up onstage and hug her mother — proof that all Katherine’s fears were unfounded.
Watching this footage 10 years later made Katherine emotional. She teared up. Naleigh was again proudly watching her mother from the audience.
Katherine and husband Josh share three children. Adalaide was adopted in 2012 and is 10 years old. Their biological son Joshua was born in 2017 and is 5 years old. Naleigh is the oldest at 14 years old.
Firefly Lane tells the story of two best friends: Tallulah “Tully” Hart, played by Katherine, and Kate Mularkey, played by Sarah Chalke. It shows the women’s friendship as it evolves from their teenage years into adulthood and navigates life’s twists and turns. It is based on the 2008 Kristin Hannah novel of the same name. The first part of the second and final season premieres on Netflix on December 2, 2022.
