Bindi Irwin loves motherhood — but not prying questions about having more kids: 'Society just puts so much pressure on women and families'
Welcome to So Mini Ways, Yahoo Life’s parenting series on the joys and challenges of child-rearing.
As the daughter of Australian conservationist and television personality Steve Irwin, Bindi Irwin says some of her best memories growing up involved playtime with her family, parents and brother. “It just makes us all happier and makes your soul feel good when you spend time doing things that you love with the people that you love,” says Irwin.
It’s a tradition that she has embraced and made a part of her own family life now that she’s mom to 2-year-old Grace Warrior. “We always dedicate time to just having fun and playing,” notes the zookeeper, who recently partnered with the Lego Group to launch a new campaign called “Play is Your Superpower.” “Spontaneous play is wonderful as well, but sometimes life does get so busy that you really do have to schedule it in," Irwin adds. But finding room for it is well worth it, she says, because being “100% present with your family will stay with your kids forever.”
For Irwin, her husband, Chandler Powell, and their daughter, both spontaneous and scheduled play often take place right at home — at the Australia Zoo. “Every day is a wonderful, wild adventure,” the wildlife conservationist explains. “In the mornings and the evenings, no matter what is happening, we always go for a family zoo walk. We go out in the zoo before our visitors arrive and after our visitors have gone home. The whole sanctuary is ours to explore. It’s that time that means so much to me, because, as a family, we get to talk about our day.”
According to Irwin, the family will start the morning by talking about what they want to achieve, spend time with the animals during the day and then, in the evening, walk the grounds with their two dogs. “There’s a lot of playgrounds on the zoo grounds as well, so you can imagine it’s like a 2-year-old’s dream,” she says. “We all get a little bit of that fresh air and the good-for-your-soul nature. Even if I’ve had a bit of a tough day, I know I’m going to feel better with our zoo walk.”
In addition to being grateful for the reliable, simple moments spent together as a family, Irwin is also deeply appreciative of motherhood overall. “I am so glad that our daughter chose us to be her parents, and I think that every single day,” says Irwin. “It is such a gift to be a parent, because you are the one who is helping this wonderful little person find what they want to do with their lives. [You get] to try to do your best every day, to love them and support them and just be there — unconditionally, no matter what — to help them on the journey.”
Seeing parenthood as a gift can’t help but color Irwin’s approach to raising her daughter, which she hopes will serve Grace now and well down the road. “I hope my parenting style gives our daughter the confidence to be able to undertake and accomplish anything that makes her heart soar,” says the Crikey! It’s the Irwins star. “I feel so grateful that I get to be a mum. I think that my whole life has been leading to this moment.”
Though she is absolutely over the moon for motherhood, Irwin admits that the most challenging aspect of the job is parental worrying. “You’re always wondering, ‘How can I do things better or differently?’ because you want to give your child the very best start to life possible,” she explains. “[But] I have learned and am continuing to learn not to stress over the little things so much. I am constantly reminding myself, and my husband is so kind — such a strong and wonderful person — and he’s always reminding me it’s OK to take a deep breath and let the little things go [and saying,] ‘You’re doing the best job you possibly can as a mum, so just find solace in that.’”
Irwin also credits her husband with being a wonderful partner who ensures that she has time for self-care — something she says is a must “especially with a 2-year-old because there are very big emotions that go on in the house.”
“Chandler and I really work on taking turns with things,” says the conservationist. “We’ll take turns with the bedtime routine. One of us will be doing the bathtime and bedtime routine while the other one cleans the house and then has ‘me time.’ So, for me, that looks like maybe having a bubble bath with a cup of tea and a book.”
Irwin’s dedication to embracing the present and practicing gratitude is no surprise given her longtime battle with endometriosis, which, as she’s previously shared, caused her to suffer from an “insurmountable fatigue, pain and nausea.” Her experience, which she opened up about on an Instagram Live this past spring, has also empowered her to encourage other women to talk about their own struggles.
“It’s high time that we all talk about this and say, ‘Hey, if you are having excruciating periods, that’s not normal, and you need help, you should be allowed to receive medical treatments,’” says Irwin. “Women [should] stop having to feel like they have to hide their pain. I did it for 10 years. I tried my absolute best to hide the fact that every day I was in excruciating pain. And why? Why do we feel that we need to do that? You’re made to feel like it’s all in your head, and it’s a nonexistent problem or a woman’s problem. And that’s wrong. You should never be made to feel like you have to hide how you’re feeling, ever.”
After everything Irwin has been through with endometriosis, the TV star is also passionately speaking out against prying or judgment when it comes to family planning. “Society just puts so much pressure on women and families, asking [questions like] ‘When are you going to have children?’ and if you have one child, ‘When is the next child?’” she points out. “These questions can be hurtful, because you don’t know what’s happening behind closed doors. You don’t know the heartbreak that someone has gone through. We have to be very careful and very kind when we’re talking about people’s decisions with their family. No one should ever make you feel bad about how you live your life with your family and the decisions that you have made or have had to make with family planning.”
As for Irwin’s path, she notes that her family of three may be complete — “and that’s OK.” “Chances are we’ll probably have one child, and that’s our journey,” says the proud mom. “That’s what life had planned for us. We feel very, very lucky to have our daughter. She feels like a little miracle every day. Our sun rises and sets with her. She is everything and more than we could ever want. We are so grateful.”
