Christy Carlson Romano is a doting mom!
The “Even Stevens” alum, 37, who is a former Broadway star, opened up about motherhood and why she doesn’t want her kids to start their careers at an early age as she did.
Childhood Is Important
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Though Romano began performing at a young age, when it comes to her daughters — Isabella, 5, and Sophia, 3, whom she shares with husband Brendan Rooney — she does not “like to push anything on them” and wants her girls to “have their childhoods.”
“That’s really important to me and part of the reason why I moved down to Texas to have this space and clarity and peacefulness,” she told People during the first-ever 90s Con. “Austin is a very chill place, so I’m really happy for them. They’re doing really well.”
On Exposing Her Kids To Theatre
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During a chat with the magazine, Romano admitted that she hasn’t gotten to “see enough theater” after moving to Austin, Texas from Los Angeles. However, she’s determined to expose her daughters to the performing arts whenever the opportunity arises.
“In Austin, there’s a really great theater company called ZACH Theater,” Romano shared. “They also have wonderful arts and ballet and symphony and stuff. So every year there, so far, I’ve been taking my girls to The Nutcracker.”
Romano Made Them Proud
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The TV star also revealed how her daughters reacted to watching her perform on stage for the first time.
“I actually was on stage as Mother Ginger,” she shared. “So all the kids hop out of her [dress] in the ballet, and my girls were like, ‘Mommy, you’re on stage.’ So they saw me on stage for the first time. They’re 5 and 3, so that was really great and makes me want to go back to theater.”
Navigating Through Motherhood
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Romano also mentioned how “extremely unique” parenting was during the coronavirus pandemic as she found TikTok helpful while in quarantine.
“Doing stuff on TikTok, I can really access my fanbase in a unique way and speak to them about being a stressed-out parent during COVID and during quarantine,” she said, adding that her generation of parents is “super unique, and we’re looking for as much help and sleep as possible, [and] caffeine…!”
Romano, who has previously opened up about her struggles with alcoholism and eating disorders on her YouTube vlog, also noted that it was “challenging to be sober during COVID.”
“I think it sucks that COVID happened and that a lot of people turned to booze, but it makes perfect sense,” the actress said. “I understand why a lot of people probably relapsed during COVID. I did not relapse during COVID and quarantine, but it was very challenging.”
How Social Media Helps
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The “Cadet Kelly” star said she found that opening up in her vlogs about her daily struggles was “freeing and empowering.”
“I could finally be myself and talk to people about myself authentically, and obviously, being authentic is what everybody wants to see these days,” she explained. “It’s not only that they want to see it, but that they need it. And so I think it was really reassuring to come out and be like, ‘Hey guys, I’m struggling, I’ve struggled, this was in the past, but here I am now. We’re okay. We’re all okay.'”
