How Lala Kent Prioritizes Mental Wellness and Routine as a Mom
TV personality and entrepreneur Lala Kent shares how motherhood reshaped her views on health, balance, and mental well-being.
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What would you say your ideal vision of a healthy childhood looks like for your children?
My ideal vision for my babies is balance. Becoming a mother, I had to let go of the fairy tale that I was going to have a baby, and I was going to teach them to have a very sophisticated palate, I was going to put them in all the sports, and I just had this vision of how it was going to go. Then the baby is born, and they start growing and developing their own personality, and you realize how little control you really have. My biggest priority has been creating balance in their lives and making sure that my kids always know and feel that they have a safe and loving home with me, where they are empowered and pushed to be whoever they were created to be. While a healthy diet and staying active is extremely important to me, I think the most important thing is instilling confidence, self-love, and conviction - I know how tough this world can be, and I want my kids to know and love who they are, and to make sure they never compromise that.
How do you balance work with instilling that confidence in your kids?
My children will always come first. It’s important for them to see me work, but as soon as I became a mother my priorities completely shifted and being present for their day-to-day is extremely important to me. No one’s going to remember if I turned down an opportunity, but my daughter is going to remember if I missed coming to class to celebrate her birthday or missed a dance recital, and my priority is my daughters knowing I wouldn’t miss their important moments for the world.
How has your view of health and wellness changed since you’ve become a mother?
Sleep has become the most essential thing when it comes to my health and well-being. Often, we are starting to go to bed at 7 p.m., because I know that if I want to be present with my kids every day, I have to get sleep. Working out has also become essential for me; I am extremely fortunate to be able to have someone come to my house to train me which has made it much easier for me to prioritize. In the past, I didn’t prioritize my health in that way; I used to stay up and watch all the shows all night long – that is no longer an option for me. It’s all about finding ways to be your best self for your kids and have enough stamina throughout the day to keep up with your children because it can be draining sometimes!
What are some challenges that you faced as a mother, and how did you get through them?
My biggest challenge as a mother, so far, has been co-parenting, which I think many people can relate to. I feel that structure is very important for kids, and I am a person who thrives and prioritizes a regular routine. However, when you co-parent, you have no control over what your child is doing when they are with their other parent and have no control over making sure they stick to their normal structure that works for them. That’s been a challenge for me, being able to say, “I don’t have control, and that’s okay.” I have gotten much better at reminding myself to focus on what I do have control over, which is my own household. So, once she comes back home, we just get back into our routine.
What kind of routines do you find are the most important in keeping your kids healthy?
The most important routine of our day is the unwinding; it’s our getting ready for bed routine. Most nights we have dinner super early, take a bath, and read a book. I have found that it really does set the tone for the next day. I find that when the bedtime routine gets messed up, my kids become irritable, and unhappy, so I try not to compromise that routine.
What’s one piece of advice you would give to new moms or parents?
Be easy on yourself. Set your intentions for the week, and if they don’t go as planned, focus on the wins of that week. If you missed a workout or if the kids had one too many cookies, don’t fixate on those things. My biggest takeaway in the four years that I’ve been a mother is how important my mental health is. I find that if I fixate on all the things that I didn’t accomplish, or moments I felt like a failure, then I’m not present for my children, and I’m failing everybody. Celebrate the wins and allow yourself to be imperfect.
What are some ways that you keep your mental health in balance?
I reach out when I need help. Parents often think they are alone in this journey and never want to burden others with their responsibilities. However, having a baby can cause so much emotional instability, including depression and anxiety, not to mention the lack of sleep and increase in hormones and having somebody that you can say, “I really need you to tap in; I need a moment,” is okay.
I wish we could all be a little easier on each other, because at the end of the day, we are all just doing the best we can. We are all extremely hard on ourselves, and I think that showing and giving each other grace always goes a long way. Being a mother is the hardest job I’ve ever taken on in my life, as I know so many other parents would say as well. We are constantly just trying to get through every single day. So, opening up to the people I trust most in my life when I need them, and offering that safe space for others to do the same with me is foundational.