Helen Mirren confronts the final female taboo

[Sophiegirl]

15. My best advice to my daughter

I was young when I had my two kids. My daughter was born when I was 21 years old and my son came along two years later. My daughter is now 29 years old and they have not had a baby yet.

We had many discussions as she got older, especially when she was in college and engaged to her high-school sweetheart (that's another long story). I told her that, IMO, they should live life together before deciding to have a family. Once you have a baby, life becomes something entirely different. I said that they should learn to become a "married couple" and figure out what that means for both of them. I encouraged them to do some traveling and to figure out how to deal with those annoying things that all couples have with one another. I encouraged her to figure out what SHE wanted in life and not what was expected of her as a woman. I asked her to think about what all that meant BEFORE they brought a child into their world.

So now, at 29, she and her childhood sweetheart, married almost six years now, have decided that they want to start a family. They have been thinking about it for a while and know they want to take that step. They weren't sure if having a family was their path, but they took the time to make that decision. It could have gone the other way and they may have chosen not to have a family. I wouldn't have had a problem with that at all.

Bottom line is that it is an individual choice and nobody should insert themselves into that very personal decision.

And THAT - as a mom - makes me happy. And proud of their maturity in this very, very important choice.