Photo by Norman Jean Roy/Lifetime
They Talk about Motherhood on The Conversation
One big point of discussion for Amanda is motherhood. She had her first child at the age of 19 and then just five years ago she had twins, a boy and a girl. In a recent conference call interview she stated, "I have the most compassion and time for women who are mothers. I know what a joyful and often challenging combination of emotions it is being a mom."
Amanda has managed to structure her life around being a mother. She shoots her show at her home while the kids are at school and is available at a moment's notice if they need her. Admittedly she needs help with childcare to accomplish what she manages to do each day, but her kids always come first.
She said, "I'm really grateful for the woman who takes care of my kids because I wouldn't be able to do my job otherwise… But even with having childcare, to be a present mom, you've got a do it. You've got to read them the stories. You have to bathe them. You've got to spend time with them. You've got to know them. You've got to hang out with them. The biggest loss comes, for me, with working moms who have to choose whether to work — it's not a choice. You have to work to take care of your kids if you don't have anyone else giving you money. To me, the lack of childcare and the lack of support for working mothers, it just deeply saddens me."
Amanda de Cadenet Feels Like Kindred Spirits with Mothers
When Amanda encounters another mom, she feels as though they are kindred spirits and she wanted to bring that feeling to her show. "When I meet a woman who is a mom I always have questions because I'm curious how other moms are juggling it all, which is a big topic on The Conversation. How do we take care of ourselves so that we're not cranky and stressed out and we're actually better mothers for our kids? One of the things that I realize it is actually taking a little bit of time for myself goes a long way in my ability to parent."
Amanda is trying to instill certain values in her children. She divulged, "I think it's really important that my boy learn how to treat women with respect and dignity and kindness. I think it's important that my daughter be able to see her mother as someone who is her mom and is — my primary role in life is I'm her mom, but second of all, as a woman who is a businesswoman. I run my business. I'm self-supporting. My job is what contributes to paying for her school fees. I'm not reliant on her dad to pay for our house and buy her clothes. I hope that they see that I'm somebody who's a balanced woman, someone who's kind and thoughtful but also teaching them boundaries and teaching them alternatives when they go wrong."
She added, "Of course, I don't know how to do this perfectly. I'm just winging it and learning as I go… Because anybody who fronts like they got it down is not telling you the truth. Nobody does."
Amanda de Cadene Teaches Valuable Lessons to Her Kids
Amanda is also trying to teach her children gratitude by doing things like giving away an old toy when they get a new one, sending care packages to orphans in Afghanistan or donating money from their piggy banks to Japanese kids after the tsunami. She stated, "I felt like I was teaching my kids from an early age that they are really lucky that they have a roof over their head and that they have toys and they have healthy food and that they have parents. So that's one of the things that I've continued to do."
She hopes The Conversation will spark these feelings in the women who watch and the guests share her intent to make the world a better place. "This is a non-promotional show so nobody comes on the show to promote something. In fact, we don't let them come on if they want to promote something because that's not what it's about. So the person is coming there with the intention of taking part in something that they hope will be inspirational and give hope to somebody. That's a very different intention than going somewhere to plug something."
These women have come together to share the experience of being women. And Amanda knows this is a universal experience that her audience will want to be part of. "Even when I watch my kids in the playground — my boy will go off and bang the tree with a stick by himself. My girl will go and sit and talk with some kids, some girls, about something. Women process through conversation. We also do really well with community. A woman without a community is in trouble. I very much believe in finding your tribe."
Tune into the premiere of The Conversation with Amanda de Cadenet tonight at 11 p.m. EST/10 p.m. Central on Lifetime.
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