Drew Barrymore Writes Touching Post About Struggles Of Being A Working Mom & Thanks Ex-Husband Will Kopelman

Drew Barrymore is getting real about how difficult it is to be a working mom, especially one with a busy travel schedule. 

The “Santa Clarita Diet” star opened up in a touching post on Instagram Friday about how hard it is to leave her daughters, Olive, 5, and Frankie, 3, behind when she has to hit the road for work, and explained some of the solutions she uses to make the time go by faster for her older daughter. 

Drew says she created a calendar system for Olive, so she can see where she is in the world and track when she’s coming home. She says the new system has helped Olive understand that work isn’t a negative thing. 

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Olive has a working mom. So, I came up with a couple of systems. One of which is “THE CALENDAR”. It has been very successful recently. I circle with sharpie every day I will be traveling. And I ask her to mark the day with an X once it’s done. That way she can see that I am gone at first, still away in the middle, and then coming back towards the end. She now has a good sense of my geographic place from the globe. She knows when I am leaving and coming home. I always explain to her that I love my Job. I don’t say “I have to go work” with a grimace on my face, because I fear it will make her feel negative about something a lot of moms must do to provide. My friend once said “never make your child feel like work is the bad thing taking you away from them” and I realized a lot of us tend to do that to try to make our kids feel better and that work is the yucky thing taking us away. It’s a good intention, but I am convinced I need to take a different approach. I want to empower my daughters to think work is good and necessary. And can even lead them to road of their dreams. I feel guilty as hell for being away (and what mother doesn’t?!) But i try a way to empower me and my kids into something more positive. I don't blame work, i own the responsibility. I will be patient when she is upset if i am away. But i wanted to give her a tool, so she could understand and gage life when i am working. Like a hand made calendar. And watching my daughter follow through with as an exercise, is so rewarding. And calming to my concerns about teaching her to grasp life. I also send her a postcard everyday at Summer camp where she walks to a mailbox and pulls out my hand written card. She knows what stamps are. And snail mail. And then she carries them in her back pack. And has even started to write me back. And we save them all in a box. Like I said, I’m trying to balance life to make it as great as it can be, and we have to find ways that are authentic and true to who we are. I tried a few methods at first… and if you ever want to corespond with Olive, don’t face time with her. I learned that the hard way.

A post shared by Drew Barrymore (@drewbarrymore) on Mar 15, 2018 at 8:58pm PDT

“She now has a good sense of my geographic place from the globe.  She knows when I am leaving and coming home,” Drew shared. “I always explain to her that I love my Job. I don’t say ‘I have to go work’ with a grimace on my face, because I fear it will make her feel negative about something a lot of moms must do to provide.” 

Drew said traveling for work definitely hasn’t been easy on her or her family, but she’s eternally grateful to her ex-husband, Will Kopelman, who has been a huge help in providing stability in her kiddos’ everyday lives.

“I also would like to say that I am so lucky for her father. Because as I go through these struggles as a woman and a mother, I also have the fortune of knowing she is safe and happy and loved. Playing and continues her normal stable amazing life with her amazing dad,” Drew shared. 

“So I say to Will Kopelman thank you for always being the best dad and supporting and enabling me to do what I need and want to do. I know that’s not everyone’s situation. And I never take it for granted,” she continued. 

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Continued from last post…My face time would come out of nowhere into her world, and it would be so disruptive. Neither of us felt good after. But she’s young and that will change when she gets older. And I am old school. So i figured globes and postcards and calendars are what works for us for now. What works for you ? And to all working Mom's, I salute your valiant efforts to love and raise good kids! I’m trying my very best. And it’s not easy. But worth every moment. And when you find something that does work for you and your family, big or small…Celebrate. Because the next obstacle is on its way! And then we reinvent again! That’s what mom’s do! I also would like to say that I am so lucky for her father. Because as I go through these struggles as a woman and a mother, I also have the fortune of knowing she is safe and happy and loved. Playing and continues her normal stable amazing life with her amazing dad. And not all working mom’s have that luxury. So I say to Will Kopelman thank you for always being the best dad and supporting and enabling me to do what I need and want to do. I know that’s not everyone’s situation. And I never take it for granted. I never had family growing up. And that’s also a support system I cherish every day of my life. I love my family and everyone in it. Because they form these little girls too. And man, did I pick well! I am always so calm and content when my girls are with their family. I see as time with them, and not about that I am not there. Which is also good planning for when a mom is trying to make it out there in the world. For now, I look at this pic of olive and her dad watching an old road runner cartoon. And this also makes me so happy and knocks out my guilt with a punch. I’ll be home soon and be laughing right along side you guys!

A post shared by Drew Barrymore (@drewbarrymore) on Mar 15, 2018 at 9:12pm PDT

The Flower Beauty founder also reflected on not having that same stability in her home as a child. She was famously raised underneath the bright lights of Hollywood by her showbiz parents and became a very young child star herself. 

“I never had family growing up. And that’s also a support system I cherish every day of my life. I love my family and everyone in it. Because they form these little girls too. And man, did I pick well,” Drew said. 

Aww! Will and Drew married in 2012 and divorced in 2016,  but have remained committed to co-parenting their children. The duo often share holidays together and Drew regularly posts sweet snaps of their kids. 

Talk about ex goals!