Jennifer Hudson does not shy away from sharing her experience as a mom.
The singer and actor has a son named David with her ex-fiancé, David Otunga. Since becoming a mom, she’s opened up about the joys and challenges of parenting.
In honor of her birthday, here are 13 quotes about motherhood from Hudson.
On How Motherhood Changed Her
“Oh, my god, it is the best ever. I honestly have the sweetest little baby in the whole wide world. He is my little buddy. I could go on and on and on about him if anyone asks me. I tend to go totally overboard, like most mothers do. Everything I see, I now see through a mother’s eyes. I always say, you never know how much your parents loved you until you have a child to love. I have now learned what it takes to raise a child, and all of the things parents do to raise a child.”
On Challenging Stages
“David Jr. is such a phenomenal little boy, but if I had to pick the most challenging stage, I would say the transition stage of having a little baby in my arms and being able to rock him to sleep to seeing him get older. This has been the hardest thing for me, watching him grow up. When he was tiny, I was his world and now he has his own schedule and the things he wants to do. ‘Mommy, I want to play with kids.’ Or, ‘Mommy I want go to so-and-so’s house.’ Or he will just go off any play by himself. I’m always left standing saying, ‘What about mommy?’ It is going way too fast for me. I love watching him take leaps and bounds into the next stage. He’s getting ready to go to preschool and I am not ready for that. I am dreading the fall.”
On Talking To Her Son About Race
“I’ve started by telling him some of the world’s greatest people ― leaders and athletes ― are black people. But I also tell him the reality of things. When a little black boy was playing in a playground with a toy gun and got shot by police, I told him, ‘You can’t go outside and play with a gun. That’s not safe or smart for you to do.’ I want to teach him, to make him able to make smart decisions for himself.”
On Bedtime Songs
“We make up special songs that we sing together. His favorite is, ‘Where is Pointer, where is Pointer? Here I am.’ Although it’s not a lullaby, it’s his favorite, hands down. He always says, ‘Mommy, sing my song.’ I also made him a potty song. It starts, ‘When you sit on the potty,’ and then he sings, ‘who who and then you go pee-pee.’ Music is such a huge part of my upbringing and background, and now my son is embracing my world.”
On Becoming A Mom After Her Family Members’ Murders
“I went from being an aunt, having a mom, and being a child to not having a mom, becoming a mom, and raising my own child. I tell David all the time, ‘You saved my life.’ ”
On School Drop-Off
″[When] I try to kiss him, he’s like, ‘Mommy there are people! You can’t kiss me!’ ... ‘But I’m your mommy. I should be able to kiss you.’”
On Her Son’s Professional Wrestler Dad
“David Jr. actually wants to wrestle Mommy and sing to Daddy. He gets our jobs mixed up. I ask, ‘Can we sing a song and you wrestle daddy?’ Instead, he pulls the microphone out to sing to his father and then he tries to knock me over the head, take me out, and then count up to three by holding me down (laughs). We watch the WWE (though he calls it the WWDaDa) shows together, but then he loves to act it out on Mommy and be rough with me. He has his own blow-up wrestling ring, he loves his dad’s action figures, and he likes to jump off the couch. I was so worried that he would hurt himself that I created a pillow room where he would be perfectly safe. Now he can jump off of the bed, land on the pillows, and think he’s really wrestling. I call this room my Purple Heaven.”
On Raising A Little Performer
“He’s very much his own person, a little performer who loves to sing and dance. He’s so charming, too. Yes, I’m biased, but I’ve never seen a child with such presence. He says ‘hi’ or ‘bye bye’ to everyone when he comes in or out of a room, and goes round blowing kisses to everyone. My phone is completely backed up from videoing everything he does, because he surprises me constantly.”
On Educational Toys And Activities
“We’re into apps because my son loves his iPad. He has the Elmo ABC app and we sit there and trace the letters together. We download many animal and biblical puzzles because the Bible was a big part of my childhood. We do a lot of reading and matching games because I love having him work on things that build his memory. He also loves instruments, puzzles, and the anatomy. He’s really into hearts and stomachs right now. We take him to a lot of science museums.”
On Her Son’s Love For Dogs
“The baby loves them. He’s always trying to play with them and he thinks he’s one of them. He even growls like the dogs and I’m like, ‘Are you growling?’ We were just on the plane the other day and he was growling at the broccoli that he was playing with. He was like, ‘Arrrrr!’ He growls at the other babies and he thinks that’s how you’re supposed to communicate.”
On Recording Her Own Lullaby
“It’s my version of the classic lullaby. I put more sentimental words and meaning into it because I wanted it to be a mother’s message to her child. One of the most precious moments in my life was having a child. It was one of the most memorable moments and it made me realize that a kid’s memorable moments is remembering sweet nights when mommy has put you to sleep while singing a favorite song. This was such a great opportunity to give something to my baby and to many other mothers out there.”
On Giving Her Son A Normal Routine
“He goes with me when he can. In the summer break, he travels with mommy. Before he went to school, he traveled with me. But I want him to have a normal upbringing. He didn’t choose his life. And I feel like that’s important. You stay at home, you go to school.”
On Teaching Healthy Habits
“Just by setting an example. Although I do not force things on him, when he sees things Mommy does, he learns the right ways. Instead of a piece of candy, he wants a banana. The first thing he will always say to me when he wakes up is, ‘Mommy, I want a nana.’ He is also not a juice drinker, but he does want some at times. We also teach him about portion control by saying, ‘We only get two’ or ‘We only get three.’”
