Mariska Hargitay on More Children: 'It's In God's Hands'

Toys and photographs litter the hallway just beyond the entrance of the New York City residence shared by Mariska Hargitay and Peter Hermann, evidence of their 3 ½-year-old son August Miklos Friedrich.

He is almost exactly the same age as Mariska was when her mom — screen siren Jayne Mansfield — died in an automobile accident in 1967. A passenger in the backseat, Mariska escaped the crash relatively unharmed, save for a small laceration on her forehead.

“I love it when people say, ‘She had such a great laugh, and so do you,'” Mariska confesses. “When I find similarities, it gives me so much peace.” Motherhood, marriage and philanthropy have given a sense of purpose.

“Children, when they lose their mother, have a different antenna,” Mariska notes. “[They wonder] ‘When will I be safe? When will I be home?’ I lost my home too early.” She adds,

“I’m getting it back through Peter and August, and, strangely, through the foundation. It’s about following the signs, listening to your inner voice. I’m living my life, and I know that this is what I’m supposed to be doing.”

What’s more, at 46, Mariska says she hasn’t given up hope of making August a big brother. “It’s in God’s hands,” she says. “But we’re always open to it.”

Source: MORE, February issue