MOTHER LOVE
Charlize’s helping hand
Every parent knows it takes a village to raise a child, and none more so than single mum Charlize Theron, whose two adopted children, Jackson (7) and August (2) are being co-parented by the Monster star and her beloved mother Gerda Maritz (65).
In a revealing interview, the Hollywood siren has paid tribute to her mum, who lives with Charlize and her kids in
Los Angeles.
“I knew that I would have to have my mum help me if I was going to do this as a single parent,” she tells. “To not acknowledge her would be a lie. She has jokingly said, ‘Being a grandparent is what I was born to do.’ I was like, yo? What about me! I’m your kid! But I’m so lucky to have that. I would feel pretty alone if I didn’t have a partner in crime in all of this.”
Parenting her kids is her current priority and she admits life is a “whirlwind” that sometimes gets on top of her.
“They do push you,” she admits. “It’s not their fault – they just don’t quite know what the barrier is and they will go as far as they can. Patience is a virtue that’s come to me in spades since being a parent, because I don’t think I was that patient before. But it’s hard. I lose it all the time.”
Such is her dedication to her kids, South African-born Charlize has even admitted she’s considering leaving the US, citing racism and the country’s current political climate. As the mother of two African-American children, she says her biggest aim has always been to instil a sense of pride in who they are and where they’ve come from – but now thinks that might be too hard in her adopted home.
“There are places in this country where, if I got a job, I wouldn’t take it. I wouldn’t travel with my kids to some parts of America, and that’s really problematic.
“The last thing I want is for my kids to feel unsafe.”
For now, though, the star, who is currently promoting her new movie Tully, where she plays an overwhelmed mother, says life is pretty good – mostly thanks to Gerda and the friends she calls her “village”.
“There are days when they just show up at my door, and I say, ‘How did you know to be here?’ I don’t think you can be a great mother without people in your life who know you need those breaks. Nobody can do it all the time.”