Hilary Duff Gets Real About Balancing Personal Time With Being A Mom, & It's So Relatable

I swear, one of interviewers' favorite questions to ask celebrity moms is: How do you do it all? Typically, what they're getting at is that ever-elusive work/life balance. Because singers and actors often have demanding work commitments, the world wonders how they can possibly be so successful while raising a family, and managing to find time for themselves. I mean, it's hard enough sometimes for parents working predictable, 9-5 shifts. So what's the secret, anyway? Hilary Duff got honest about balancing personal time with being a mom, and it's so real.

Duff became a mother back in March, 2012, when she welcomed a son, Luca, with her (now ex-) husband, Mike Comrie, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Now that Luca is 4, and the Younger actress is 30, it turns out she's just like us commonfolk — in that achieving the "perfect' balance between work, family, and time for herself seem not only difficult AF, but damn-near impossible. "I don't always balance it all, I do the best that I can, and some months are crazier than others," Duff told E! Online in a recent interview. "I'm a mother first, so he's always my number one priority. And then my decision-making process is like, 'Hey can I make this work? Is he going to get enough of what he needs from me?'"

Although Duff is currently a single mom to Luca, it seems one key to doing it all, (at least for her) is to take on a "it takes a village" mentality. "I think that I've been doing this for a while so I do have a strong work ethic and I have a lot of people around me that help keep my schedule straight and plan and know where my priorities lie," Duff told E! Online. "So it's a little bit of a collaborative effort too." In reference to specifically making time for her own needs, Duff had this to say:

I started to feel less guilt about taking time for myself, or you know, maybe not putting Luca to bed one night and going out with my girlfriends and having a fun dinner. That stuff rejuvenates you, and I matter too.

This isn't the first time the former Lizzie McGuire star has opened up about the struggle of balancing different aspects of her life. In June 2016, she also admitted to being less-than-perfect when it comes to juggling her demanding career and quality time with Luca, Today reported. "I feel like I’m missing out a lot and it makes me really sad," she said at the time. "The easiest way for me to really connect with him when I've had a crazy week is to unplug from all my devices."

Granted, I'm no celebrity. But I can totally relate to Duff when it comes to the ongoing struggle that is balancing personal time with being a mom. When I was a new mother, I know I felt so guilty for taking any time to myself to do the things that I love. (Like running, for example.) At the time, I was already working outside of the home for 7-8 hours a day. So I felt like I was obligated to spend every other waking moment with my little guy. Through the years — and after a couple more kids — I've learned that it benefits the entire family to take time for myself. After a long run, I come back rejuvenated and more present for my kids. So everyone wins.

As always, it's nice to see when celebrities get real about everyday battles that are pretty much universal. I may not be a rich and super-famous actress like Hilary Duff. But at least I know we're alike in one sense: We're both doing our best, but nevertheless struggling to "do it all" as mothers.