Beyoncé makes pretty much everything she does look effortless, but she just admitted that there's one thing she does every single day that requires intense effort: keeping life normal for her kids.
Achieving anything resembling "normalcy" can be a stretch for the children of any celebrity, let alone for kids born into the fame that comes automatically with having Beyoncé and Jay-Z for parents. But, in a new interview with GQ, Beyoncé explained that keeping things as normal (and private) as possible for her kids—Blue Ivy, 12, and six-year-old twins Rumi and Sir—is a top priority for her.
"One thing I’ve worked extremely hard on is making sure my kids can have as much normalcy and privacy as possible, ensuring my personal life isn’t turned into a brand," the "Texas Hold 'Em" singer said. "It’s very easy for celebrities to turn our lives into performance art. I have made an extreme effort to stay true to my boundaries and protect myself and my family. No amount of money is worth my peace."
As for how she manages to balance protecting her kids' privacy and sense of normalcy with, you know, being Beyoncé, the answer, it seems is multitasking so that she can always be a present and hands-on mom, even when she's working. The singer said she builds her work schedule around her family, only touring when her kids are out of school and able to travel with her, for example.
"My kids come with me everywhere I go," she said. "They come to my office after school, and they are in the studio with me. They are in dance rehearsals. It’s natural that they would learn my choreography."
Like most working moms, Beyoncé also acknowledged that juggling parenting and professional life can be challenging—but that it's ultimately worth it.
"Raising three kids isn’t easy," she admitted during the interview. "The older they get, the more they become their own individuals with unique needs, hobbies, and social lives. My twins are God-sent. Parenting constantly teaches you about yourself. It takes a lot of prayer and patience. I love it. It’s grounding and fulfilling."