Nancy O'Dell Says First Lady Suffers From Mom Guilt, Too
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Calling working motherhood “one big guilt trip,” Nancy O’Dell says she — like so many — often finds herself trying “to fit more hours into the day than there actually is.” Speaking from The Noble Awards at the Beverly Hills Hilton on October 18th, the 43-year-old Access Hollywood host tells Celebrity Baby Blog she recently was comforted to learn that even First Lady Michelle Obama struggles with mom guilt, however.
“She was on the campaign trail and away from her kids,” Nancy recalls, “and she said it’s one big guilt trip, because when she was out on the campaign trail she was feeling bad about not being with the kids and when she was with the kids she felt bad because she felt she needed to be helping her husband.”
Nancy — mom to 2-year-old Ashby Grace — credits her own husband Keith Zubchevich with helping her to commit completely to whatever she’s chosen to do. “I always put my family as priority,” she explains, “but if you hold down a job there are certain things you have to do.” Nancy adds,
“If I’ve made a decision I have to go to this work function or if I’m not going to do this work function because I’m going to be with my family [I] try to be in the moment. If you are at one thing and you’re feeling guilty about not being at the other thing you’re not in the moment.”
Bedtime is an important time for staying in the moment, and Ashby definitely has her preferences in bedtime stories.
“Oh my God, I read most all the ones that are fuzzy and feely and touchy and stuff like that,” Nancy says, “but we’re both really into the big Mother Goose book of nursery rhymes right now. She loves all the rhyming stuff and so I’ve been reading that to her. I just got through doing Dr. Seuss books. I read the Fancy Nancy series!”
Nancy is also step-mom to Keith’s sons Tyler and Carson from a previous marriage.
— Missy with reporting by Michelle Ward