Ivanka Trump is on the cover of Redbook’s May issue, and Radar Online has some details of her interview. Ivanka talks about her two year-old daughter, Arabella, and how she tries to balance home and work life. It sounds like she totally prefers to be in the office most of the time instead of at home. Some people are criticizing her for acting like she’s a working mom when she comes from such immense privilege and wealth. If you read her statements carefully, that’s not really what she says. The interviewer brought that up, she admits how hard it is to stay at home with her kid. Ivanka prefers to be at work, and she does that, coming home for just an hour and fifteen minutes on weeknights to give her daughter a bath and put her to bed. Here’s more:
On whether, as a working mother, she suffers from mom guilt
“Oh, every morning I’m so sad to leave Arabella. But it’s important for me to continue what I’m doing. It’s fulfilling to me, and I think it makes me a better mom when I’m home. And incidentally, I hate the expression ‘working mom,’ because when I’m with Arabella on the weekends, I’m much more exhausted on Monday morning than I am on Friday night! [Laughs] I think the expression ‘working’ versus ‘non-working’ implies that a mother who stays home doesn’t work. It’s far more difficult than anything I do in the office.”On why, unlike her father, she’s guarded with the press
“Many people who come from obscurity and shoot into the limelight, they don’t really know what they’re getting into, whereas I did. I went in with my eyes wide open. I don’t let people into things that are too private. People ask all the time, ‘Oh, can we take photographs of you and your closet?’ No. That feels voyeuristic in a way that I don’t feel comfortable with. I’m very active on social media, but you don’t see me tweet a photo of Jared and me lying in bed on Sunday morning. I don’t want to see other people lying in bed on a Sunday morning; why would someone want to see me?She works 16 hour days and keeps “normalcy” by coming home for an hour and fifteen minutes at night
Trump keeps a sense of normalcy in her family by engaging in family traditions, such as making a “proper eggs breakfast” on Tuesday mornings for her husband, Jared Kushner, and Arabella, having Arabella join her for lunch every Wednesday at noon, and running home for work every evening from 6 p.m. until 7:15 p.m. to give her daughter a bath, read her books and put her to bed, before returning to the office and finishing her work day.
[From Redbook and Radar Online]
I can’t fault her for this. She’s not saying her way is the only way and she’s not saying she doesn’t have a ton of help at home. She’s saying she finds it really difficult to be a hands-on mom and more exhausting than her work schedule. (Although it would be nice for her to acknowledge that she does have nannies and housekeepers, but that’s kind of a given.) Some women prefer to be at the office instead of at home, it happens and she’s being honest. She’s going to miss a lot of important moments, but she’s not pulling a Giuliana Rancic and saying she’s basing her life on some overarching philosophy. It makes me wonder if part of the reason she’d rather work so much is that she’s having problems with her husband. It’s not like she has to do all the drudge work, you know?
Also, I like what she said about valuing some aspects of her privacy. That sounds smart. I got most of these photos from her Instagram though.
Photos credit: Instagram and Matt Jones/Redbook. Redbook cover via I’m Not Obsessed
I like her. She’s smart and classy. It’s funny that her douchebag father managed to raise well-adjusted and responsible adults.
Give credit where it’s probably due – the nanny :).
+1
He didn’t raise them; Ivana and nannies raised them.
+1. I think her normalcy is her mother’s doing, less so “The Donald”. Ivana Trump grew up in the former communist block (Czech Republic), was on the olympic ski team and earned a masters degree in phys ed. Their three kids all work (for dad) and keep a pretty low profile.
Kids are pretty smart. She probably realized pretty early on that her father was a turd
I liked her until I read her book. She seems so friendly and classy but in her book she came off as condescending, elitist, and self-involved. I can’t remember if there were ghost writers, it could have been their fault, but it had a lot of things like “show up on time to your job interview” (#pippatips) and “make sure you’re at the office on a Sunday. If I’m at the office on a Sunday and my subordinates aren’t, I lose respect for them.” Everything she wrote was either obvious or ridiculous.
She’s a self entitled, rich, little girl who’s never had to work a day in her life and she is doing to her child exactly what was done with her–allowing someone else to raise her. She’s a Trump. Enough said.
Yeah, that’s BS. This is a person so insanely wealthy that everyone does everything for her all the time – does anyone here really think she goes grocery shopping or has to make dentist’s appointments? What about laundry – think she has to come home to a pile of dirty laundry at 10pm, or does she have slaves – oh excuse me, “help” – doing it for her. Do her employees have that level of support? What a joke of a human being.
I’m sorry to hear that she’s reproduced.
Removed her on our Facebook Page. She is TOTAL BS.
Can’t stand The Donald, but I’ve always liked Ivanka. She’s being honest, and expressing what a lot of women think. If you choose to be a stay at home and enjoy it, that’s wonderful, but I think you can be a good mother without doing that. As long as children are well and being taken care of, we as women should support each other’s right to make that choice.
Also, I respect her because by all accounts she does actual work, not “celeb kid work.” She graduated from university and, fashion collections aside, is reportedly a valued asset at Trump International.
I agree. I’ve been both, a stay at home and a career mom. Motherhood is work, it’s the hardest job I’ve ever had. I do enjoy working outside of our home, and I think it makes me a better person. Everyone has to find out what their own path is, and should be supporting each other.
A whole hour and a half!
It’s pretty easy to be a mother when you spend a whopping hour and a half with your child a night. And, yes, dealing with a child is much more exhausting than going to work. You make choices, and it seems as of she has made a choice to minimize her child to her own desires. I hardly think a 16 hour day is necessary for her job.
As far as privacy goes, I don’t see much of that in a photo spread and interview in Redbook. All it means is not such a blowhard as her father, and that is hardly an accomplishment. My opinion of her has dropped considerably with this self-serving piece.
I don’t think such a blanket statement is fair. Some jobs are damn exhausting. And I don’t think it’s up to you, or I to determine whether or not it’s ‘necessary’ for her to be at work that long.
Here we go with the mommy shaming.
It’s not like she’s having child after child when she can’t financially support them. She can afford the help to make sure the kid is well-taken care of in her absence. She’s not OBLIGATED to be a stay-at-home mother or spend XX amount of time with her child because YOU think that’s the right amount of time.
The point is that when she’s with her child, she is spending quality time with her and enjoying being with her. Better than being with her all day and feeling resentful at the fact that she had to sacrifice her career to take care of her child. On that note, why does society always assume that women HAVE to be the ones to give everything up for their child?? What is Jared doing all day and why is no one asking why he isn’t home with Arabella?
Someday her daughter will have to make an appointment to see her.
I don’t buy the working 16 hours a day; she might work late some days, but 16 hours everyday; yeah right. I’m with her on the staying at home with your kid would be difficult. I’m sorry I can’t do that stay at home mom thing even if I could afford to do so. I know once you become a parent it’s no longer all about you but it doesn”t mean you have to give up all of who you are, just a piece of it.
I don’t think it’s mommy shaming to say and hour and a half, 5 out of 7 days is a little paltry. I could understand if you were working out of necessity to be gone so much, but this situation seems excessive to me. What I can say, however, is that she seems like for that short time she is totally present and committed to her daughter. Maybe that is what she is saying; she works hard so that when she is home she can clear work from her mind and focus on her family.
If you think you can authoritatively say that raising a child is harder than working, you haven’t been doing the right kind of work!
” And, yes, dealing with a child is much more exhausting than going to work.”
Oh are we doing another round of the ‘tired olympics?’
Seriously, being a parent doesn’t give anyone dibs on being the only ones who get to claim they are tired. Work/school/illness/life all make it so people are exhausted-it’s not a competition.
And I know someone that works in the same industry as Ivanna. 16 hour work days are typical and actually pretty light. At least she gets weekends off.
Thank you Kelly! It’s one thing is you’re a working mom and have to work 16 hour days. Most of the working moms I know don’t have the luxury to race home for an hour and fifteen to bath their babies. They get up at 5 in the morning to get lunches and everything else ready, take their kids to day care or school and then spend a 10 hour day working their hearts out, another hour coming home and then have baths, dinner etc. to do for their families. THOSE women are WORKING moms. This woman has housekeepers, no money concerns, doesn’t even have to go into the office if she doesn’t want to and probably 3 nannies.
I have no problem with her making the choice she has. It’s her life. But for Redbook to suggest that she is a “working” mom and for all of us then to admire her for “working” so hard and being so “adjusted” is exactly what the Trumps and the rest of the people like them in our world want us to think. She’s nothing like us. She has very few concerns that overwhelm all of us. And, she’s not a working MOm. She’s a woman who works and has lots of help doing the Mom part.
I’m just a regular mom with a full-time job, and when my kids were small, I would only spend an hour and a half – 2 hours with them in the evening. Pick up at daycare: 5:30/6, dinner, bath, bed by 7:30 or so. I also spent about an hour with them in the morning before work/daycare, including car time. That is not at all unusual…many small kids sleep for 12 hours at night. I guess it Looks bad on paper, but 1/2 hour commute each way, plus 8 1/2 hour work day cuts into anyone’s time with their kids.
Men do this all the time and no one calls them bad parents. When my sisters’ kids were young (pre-school), she had to push their bedtime back to 9 pm so that they would be able to see their dad at night. He was running his own business and worked on Saturdays too. Why isn’t anyone asking how much time her husband spends at work??
@TheOriginalKitten – Agree with everything you said. Also, it sounds like she does a good job of balancing her life in a way that makes her happy and fullfilled and gives her daughter daily time and a much needed routine. I expected the comments to be much more positive and am surprised and saddened by the tone here.
Given the varied ways she could have gone as the child of wealthy and famous parents, she’s done well for herself. However….her “work/home” life is FAR, far different than the average Redbook reader. The comforts and conveniences she has access to means she simply has more time in her day. She leaves her penthouse apartment and takes a private elevator to her private garage where she is greeted by a private driver who takes her to work in a private limousine or town car. She’s then dropped off at a private entrance and takes a private elevator up to her private office. She’s not inconvenienced by having to sweat it out in rush hour traffic, stop for gas, pick up groceries, find parking, wait for the elevator, prepare or pick up food for lunch, prepare or pick up food for dinner, wash dishes, clean the house, or even simple chores like changing light bulbs, filling the dish washing detergent dispenser etc… ALL of those things take TIME and for the average woman there is not enough of it in one 24 hour day.
It’s not mommy-shaming to think that someone needs to spend more time with their kid…
No it is not Agitation! It’s one thing to have to work as many hours as she has. If she prefers work, then she should probably have chosen to be on the career track. If you are a real working Mom then you’re still doing the Mom stuff. You’re struggling but your MOm. She’s not her daughter’s MOm. She’s her Aunt Ivanka who swoops in for the fun times. Her “mother” is a nanny.
Agree 100% with Faye.
Ivanka is saying only that this is what works for her concerning her parenting and family life. Happy mommy, happy family!
I, too, am already tired of the mommy shaming. Ivanka sounds like a pretty together chick.
At least one parent should be at home with the child. I resent couples who have kids and then spend most of their time working. Why have kids if you’re not going to spend any time with them?
I just curious, though. Why do you care? They’re not your kids.
At the risk of others wrath here, have to say I agree with you (to an extent)…
Both my parents were not around much when I was a child, they were either working or whatever (my mother had a part time job that she did for something ‘to do’), and I HATED being a ‘latch key’ kid. All I wanted was their ‘quality’ time, which I rarely ever got. I didn’t want that for my son.
@bk: because I empathize with neglected kids. Just because they’re not my kids doesn’t mean I can’t feel sorry for them.
@camille: I hear ya. I was a latch key kid too and it sucked. One time when i was six I was at home unsupervised and I climbed up on to the roof to get my football. I ended up falling off the roof and braking my leg. My parents response was that I shouldn’t have been on the roof. They took no responsibility for what had happened and continued to leave me unsupervised at home while they worked.
Spending an 90 minutes a day with your child is not being a mom.
…she’s a mom due to alot of other things. That she still realizes she has a child and a spouse unlike other working parents is to be applauded
Yes, but according to some that is just fine for being a Dad.
Ba-zing!!
Wow! You should win best comment of the day. Spot on…if she would be a man we wouldn’t be having this discussion for sure.
*applause*
awesome point!
🙂
And I honestly don’t get that. People say that men don’t like spending time with their kids, but I don’t think that’s true. My dad had to work pretty long hours as a construction plumber, and even if he was dead tired, he’d try to squeeze in some time to spend with us, and I know a lot if dads are the same. I think it’s all about balance honestly, and the stigma that comes of a dad who stays at home instead of work; on one hand, he’s shamed for not spending time with the kid, on the other hand he’s shamed with not bringing in enough money. I think it’s best if the parents can work out a schedule of mommy time daddy time and both time, y’know? Unfortunately, in this economy not a lot of people can do that anymore.
Dad’s don’t get a pass from me. My ex was never around or constantly checking his blackberry at the table. A lot of our parents weren’t connected 24/7 and they managed to be successful in their careers. I have demanded an electronic free dinner table in my house because it’s become out of control. Personally I have cut down my time at the office to spend more time with my seven year old because she was crying that she doesn’t see me enough. I only worked three days a week until she went to school and sacrificed a lot so I could stay home with her as much as I did. Financially that’s all could I cut back. I don’t understand why people have children if they don’t want to spend time with them.
A-freaking-men!
I think Ivanka’s doing what she feels best for her family. You do what you feel is best for you and yours.
Why do we have to be so critical of each others choices?
Fine, she loves her work. Her child is being brought up by nannies and she is missing a lot of milestones that will never come again. I can’t believe she thinks an hour and 15 minutes a day is all the time her child deserves.
People don’t realize that the KIDS have feelings about not being a priority. As they get older they go to the nannies with their problems, not to their parents.
Maybe her husband is doing the majority of the parenting at this stage? I don’t know anything about him or what he does. But I’m sure she has nannies. I worked as a nanny to support myself through college. Very eye-opening experience for me, as I was raised by parents who worked from home (organic farmers)so we rarely had sitters. It was so much more than babysitting! The extremely wealthy family I worked for treated their children as posessions rather than human beings, and the kids would go weeks, I mean WEEKS without seeing their parents. And the wife did not work! She just wasn’t “available”.
I betya she schedules her “family” life around her work. Literally…schedules.
Hate to break it to you, but an hour and 15 minutes is all many working moms get to spend with their kids at night, and it doesn’t make us horrible moms, just moms with full time jobs. I don’t know why this is so shocking. I work 9-6, get home around 6:45 and my daughter goes to bed at 8. Almost all my working mom friends are in the same boat.
Lemony–that’s really sad, and unfortunately I think it happens a lot. One of the kids I knew who went through what you’re going through’s parents weren’t even wealthy or working–they just liked to party.
Ising, because some women still think we’re in the 1950s.
Nannies, chauffeurs, private planes, stylists, makeup artists, hair stylists, security, housekeepers, private cooks, caters, publicists, accountants, attorneys… we would all be smiling too.
Having a child is being a mom.
The rest is a question of style.
Or just popping a child out of a vagina. Millions of people do it every day – what makes it so applauadable?
It’s not a special event, like I said millions participate – it’s nice but why all the sturm und drang.
And being busy doing things that you want to do for 16 hours a day is not the same as having a job.
Am I really supposed to believe that she can’t take time off whenever she wants?
I find her smart and beautiful. Her attitude is sharp and happening. Go on Ivanka!!!
I want the dress she’s wearing on the cover. Not in green though…maybe blue or purple.
*NEWSFLASH PEOPLE*
Ivanka (who i love) lives literally TWO BLOCKS AWAY (which is like 5 min) from her office in NY!!! *i say that non-envying…kinda, lol*
i read in an article last year that she made regular breaks to go home & bond with the baby then returned back to work.
so, don’t cry for Arabella, Argentina…i believe Ivanka sees her child more often than this article lets on.
jussayin. 😉
Yeah, I was gonna say that I think a lot of it is how to market Ivanka as a corporate titan as opposed to how some people see her. Doesn’t bother me though as i think she does good work. her jewelry line is just gorgeous, but unaffordable. 🙁
So she scheduled “bonding with the baby” around her work life? Figures. I didn’t know this was another work project.
Oops, sorry Faye! I did not mean to reply to your statement, meant to make a comment on Ivanka.
Seems like the kids are just props for photo ops to me.
I get that feeling too!
Yup…a fashion clothing line for kids.
A whole hour and a half!
It’s pretty easy to be a mother when you spend a whopping hour and a half with your child a night. And, yes, dealing with a child is much more exhausting than going to work. You make choices, and it seems as of she has made a choice to minimize her child to her own desires. I hardly think a 16 hour day is necessary for her job.
As far as privacy goes, I don’t see much of that in a photo spread and interview in Redbook. All it means is not such a blowhard as her father, and that is hardly an accomplishment. My opinion of her has dropped considerably with this self-serving piece.
I am reposting this as I accidentally posted a reply on someone else’s comment.
Dealing with a child is harding than working? Maybe in your line of work.
Tell it to all the doctors, nurses, lawyers, professors, scientists, engineers and all the other assorted learned people of the world that their jobs pale in comparison to making babies and wiping drool off their mouths.
I’m not saying which is harder but to be fair being a parent involves a lot more than wiping drool.
Esmom, I have a kid myself, so I’ve aware that it’s a bit more involved. However, the hardest thing ever? Please. I found having a child to be labor intensive sometimes, but to be frank, it was intellectually mind-numbing at times. I wanted to litigate, get out and actually test my brain, be creative, that sort of thing. Being at home all day made me feel useless (also didn’t help that that degree I paid so much for wasn’t getting used). Now that my son is a bit older, it’s more interesting because he can engage back and forth with me. But early parenthood made me want to shoot myself.
Placing parenting above everything else just makes it sound like somebody who has very limited experience with actual employment.
To me, harder than anything else is engaging in something you find mind-numbing and non-intellectually fulfilling. Yes, my work is more technically complicated than child-rearing, but when you love your job, it seems less difficult than being at home alone with an infant, even when you love said infant. Duh. I totally get where Ivanka is coming from in saying that the end of a weekend is more exhausting than a workday. If anyone thinks that makes me or anyone else a bad mom, eff off with your self-righteous crap. Some of us have to work to have a fulfilling life (and pay the bills frankly- I live in DC) and it doesn’t make us bad moms. Being a judgmental creep, however, makes you a bad example for your child.
@Sam, I think it’s hard partially because of that mind-numbing aspect. I didn’t feel that so much with my own kids but last year I babysat my infant niece 3x a week for a few months and I almost went bonkers. It put to rest my periodic longing for a third baby once and for all.
But I guess what I’ve found the hardest, which doesn’t compare to even the most stressful 90-hour workweek, is feeling the pressure to foster positive qualities in my kids — such as generosity, compassion, willingness to work hard. And worrying that they will make bad choices.
Add to that a child with special needs and there have been some days with them that are beyond grueling, where my husband has come home and said I look like I’ve been hit by a truck, and which makes life at the office feel like a vacation!
I think the key for any mom is finding the right balance between your “mom identity” and your professional/personal identity, and juggling the needs of your family and the needs of yourself and/or your marriage accordingly depending on what’s most urgent at any given time. Easier said than done, I know.
I guess I must be really stupid because I’m a mom, and I never found it mind numbing for even a second. And after three painful miscarriages each moment is a blessing.
She is saying that for her staying at home with her daughter is more tiring than being at work. No where did she say that that it was for everyone.
She is lovely, and really really looks like her mother.
You know, a father who does exactly what she is doing would probably just be considered a workaholic, not necessarily a poor parent. I didn’t read anything about her husband, perhaps he is the primary caregiver parent. Nothing wrong with that.
Yes! As many have noted in earlier posts, if Ivanka were a man no one would imply that he’s a poor father. There’s such a double standard here. It makes me sad that there are so many women out there who jump at the chance to judge another woman when if it were a man no one would say anything.
yes, its a double standard…but lets face facts…the BIG majority of child rearing falls on the mother…thats reality…is it fair? Of course not…but, EVERY couple that I know, the Mom is the primary caregiver, even when both work…
Oh b!tch please! The Nanny is actually raising your kids, not you! Better mom, my a$$.
heehee
calm down, LOL!
As a sahm I’ve noticed there are many many amazing nannies out there doing a terrific job of raising the kids during the weekdays. She might not be a better mom in the traditional sense, but the kids are probably better off than with an unhappy mom who wished she were elsewhere.
I almost didn’t read this article because I don’t want to hear what a celeb has to say about motherhood and offering bs advice when they have zero relativity to normal peoples lives. Anyway, I am glad I did, because Ivanka sounds honest and she wasn’t preaching. I don’t think her long hours means she is having trouble with her husband, I think she is just very motivated at work to achieve a lot.
I don’t work that much overtime but with a 3 hour daily commute I only see my daughter for 1.5 hours or 2 maybe each night and 45 minutes in the morning. For some of us it is difficult to achieve the American dream of owning a home where we work. In the DC area you have to be making over $200K to be able to afford to live close to work and own a home. For the rest like me, if you want to own a home you have to move further out and endure long commutes. I do love to read so I make the best of it but I would much rather be at home with my kids or working out.
I get home from work at 5, and my daughter goes to bed at 7. I don’t get to spend much more time with her than Trump does with her daughter. I think it’s a pretty typical experience for
Most working moms. I think a lot of people here are just looking for a reason to be mad…
Agree. Her kids still little so she has an early bedtime. Even if Ivanka just had standard working hours she’d only have an hour or two with the kid at night.
I can’t believe people are still so sanctimonious about this. So many fathers miss breakfast and bedtime due to work and only really see the kids on the weekend, and that’s just normal for most people. Hell, the trade-off for a lot of SAHM’s is that the kids barely see their father because he has to work crazy hours as the only provider. No one get’s all angsty about how those kids aren’t really being raised by their fathers. It’s just accepted.
Agreed – I work full time, so I get about an hour in the mornings (which are *not* fun!) and 90 minutes in the evening with my daughter. Then I switch my computer back on and do some more work.
If she’s honest enough to know that she’s so driven to work that she’d be miserable being a stay at home mum, then she’s better off working. I’m sure she’s employed the best nanny money can buy, plus housekeeper, cleaner etc, so that the weekends are free and clear.
And I agree with everyone who’s said that a man doing this wouldn’t be subjected to the same censure.
When I first started working at a law firm (20 years ago), it was mostly men there. They left home in the morning and were commuting by 8 am. They left the office at around 6 pm, got home at 7 pm. If their kids were young like Ivanka’s with an early bed time, they maybe saw them for an hour combined each day during the week. If a mom or dad is spending any time in a commute, they probably see their kids that much (or that little?) too.
wow, her daughter is 2 already??
I truly don’t understand the point of having a child if you are only going to spend a trifling amount of time with it. Seems very selfish to me.
+1
Why do parents do this? I know a dortor man who works practically 3 shifts and makes good money, but does not see his family much, now his wife is becoming a gunecologist too, and hardly sees their 2 children either. They are unhappy children with a lot of expensive toys, and meanies to the employees and family who help raising them.
BTW my mother worked a lot because we were not rich, and she was the moneymaker in the family, but she was with us every other moment.
Because like other people have said in comments and Ivanka herself as well, the time they spend with their children is quality time.
It seems as though you are asking that you either choose between your career and your children, which is a decision I don’t think you should have to make.
Being a good parent doesn’t mean being physically with your child 24/7. My mother worked long hours often till the wee hours in the morning and couldn’t spent much time with me when I was little, but I still consider her to be a wonderful and selfless mother.
+1
God forbid a woman work AND be a mother!
My parents worked insane hours, but that did mean the time we had together was always quality time. A lot of my friends had SAHM’s and fathers who just had 9-5 jobs, but because they spent so much time in each others space they didn’t ever really connect. I’d go to their houses and all they’d say to each other the whole time were a few sentences like “Have you done your homework?” “Yes”, then we’d all sit in silence and watch TV. It was like because they were always in each others faces anything more would have been stifling. Whereas whenever my parents were home we’d talk for hours or if I had friends over they’d get to know them a little or we’d all go do some fun activity.
These days I have a fantastic relationship with my parents. They have very full lives, which makes things easier. A lot of my friends are dealing with parents who built their whole lives around their kids and now have nothing else left, and it’s not pretty.
Thanks Jess!! That’s exactly it. Sometimes people strive so much to do what is socially accepted as correct that they just forget to do what makes them happy. To each their own. If someone is unhappy with their life they can be 24/7 with their children and be a lousy parent. On the other hand, if they are happy they will probably also value more the time together with their family and make it more worth it.
I had a great childhood with a SAHM and a very busy father that would even take me with him when he needed to work on the weekends. It was a matter of making it work and being happy with our lives I guess.
Though, your last sentence really caught my attention because it’s so true. I think that my mom worked very hard as a SAHM and that she liked what she was doing. However, I think that now that we are all grown-up it is a bit hard for her that she didn’t keep a job, specially ’cause she’s pretty young. She will (and she has already) eventually find new things to fill her time, but I think it is indeed harder.
Isla Fisher just gave an interview and she said you must do sacrifice in your private life or your career but you can’t have the two in Hollywood
Isla Fisher is at least not delusional. You can not have it all. It’s foolish to think that at the end of the day everything balances out. Something always has to give and/or someone always suffers.
Wow. That just makes me sad.
Not reading anything to criticize here at all??
I would like to know how much time her husband spends with the daughter and how much time they as a couple spend together If she is working 16 hours a day and doing red carpet events on the weekends i am wondering about them as a family. Maybe her husband is the more hands on and is the nurturing type or maybe he works 16 hours a day also and couldn’t careless.
I would like to know how much time her husband spends with the daughter and how much time they as a couple spend together If she is working 16 hours a day and doing red carpet events on the weekends i am wondering about them as a family. Maybe her husband is the more hands on and is the nurturing type or maybe he works 16 hours a day also and couldn’t careless.
I have a difficult time with Ivanka because she’s always on the sell, and know that her public statements are going to reflect that. For a while it was all about playing up the men’s magazine angle – she’s certainly never gone trashy and always done with with a reflection of her as a businesswoman as well, but still the woman very carefully curates her brand. Now she’s going the mommy route.
And by the way, it’s not like she hasn’t done magazine spreads of her home, or men’s magazine spreads, or anything like that. She’s just lucky enough to be able to control how she does it.
I don’t fault her for wanting to work and having her career be very important part of her life. I think it’s great she studied and worked hard and does something she’s passionate about. But it’s a little sad that the kid spends 90% of her day with nannies, especially while she’s at an age where her world is all about her parents, no friends or school yet. It also sounds like she must not have a lot of time with her husband either. If I were in her position I would probably work maybe 8 or 10 hours a day and have the rest to spend time with the family. Let’s face it it’s not like she’s going to get fired or something if she doesn’t put in 16 hour days, she works for her (scumbag) father. It would be a shame to look back and realize she missed so much when she really didn’t have to.
I’ve always liked Ivanka Trump, partly because I compare her to those other socialite kids from a wealthy family – the Hiltons. She went to university, has never been in the tabloids for anything scandalous, and she actually WORKS. And just because she works for her billionaire father doesn’t mean she lays about the office – it has always sounded like she truly does work.
Reading articles like this and the comments section really makes me realize how much women as mothers are criticized. It’s like your damned if you do, damned if you don’t. So she’s a workaholic – she also said she spends the whole weekend with her child. There’s no mention of her husband – maybe he’s spending quality time with the kid during the weekdays. Why must everything always fall on the woman?
Anyway, the best part of this article is that she wasn’t preachy (ala Gisele or Gwyneth). She said what works for her, and that’s that.
+10
+10000000000
At least she’s not in your face about it (the help). In the end it’s her choice to work rather than sit at home and spend money.
She may have misspoke but she said “when” she spends the weekend with her daughter she’s exhausted on Monday morning. That sounds like it’s not the normal occurrence.
I admire a woman who can “do it all” but it’s really a myth. We can’t do it all. Something’s always compromised. I’m not judging her for making her choices, that’s perfectly fine but these articles never appear to be on the up and up.
When I had my first child and went back to work, I really appreciated the time I had with my child. Now I have three and don’t work and some days… well… sometimes it’s a different feeling.
Co-sign!
She could have turned out awful with that ego maniac dad if hers but I actually think she’s lovely.
I like her. Nothing like her father, except driven. I think she compliments stay-at-home moms by acknowledging it’s not easy. I couldn’t be gone that much from my child, but everyone is different. And men aren’t judged for their careers.
And I think she is hands on all weekend and doesn’t shirk her responsibilites, thus tired. Sure, she has a maid, but I still think with her work ethic, she looks at her time from Friday to Monday morning the same way. She gives her all to her daughter. Everyone is different. My friend is very career oriented and travels for her job and has a nanny and is divorced, but her children are so well-behaved, do great in school, outgoing, and have a close relationship with their mom, and she is an amazing home cook, active, and has a love of travel, which she shares with her children. So I think she is a role model for her children, even though during the weekdays is gone for three or four days and has a wonderful nanny that has been like part of the family forever, who lives there overnight when mom is traveling. She does get a lot of vacation, though (six weeks a year). But the woman depends on no man for support and creating a beautiful and warm home for her children. Showing your children a woman can be smart and capable and independent in earning capacity is a good role model. Her big regret is a crappy ex-husband, who is not much of a father and only saw the children sporadically, and not giving her children that role model of loving wife and husband to emulate. She worries about that hurting her children, not having had that. Plus dating and being a single mother is tough. But we all do the best we can and we are all different.
Your friend sounds like a wonderful mom and great role model. I’m confronted daily by bratty, overindulged children that are being raised by moms or/and nannies. Well behaved children are all to rare these days
And you sound like a good friend.
I don’t want to judge her because she always seems nice and responsible. However, I don’t see myself working so many hours if I have that kind of money because I would imagine that it’s easier to balance with so much flexibility.
With the Internet now and how connected we always are, I would choose some sort of work at home and in office schedule. Then as the child grows older and goes to school, I’d spend a little bit more time at the office. That’s what I’d do if I were in her place. But to each their own…
Ok I can’t believe no one has said this but that HAS to be one of the ugliest magazine covers ever. When I first saw it I thought it was an ad page from the magazine. I was sooooo confused why you had it as the top photo. I looked bak and saw the red book logo. Holy crap. Is this a common way to do the magazine cover for red book? It looks awful!
Some women find out after having a child that they are not the most comfortable of mothers. The fortunate ones have the alternative of returning to work and having the majority of care turned over to another adult: preferably the father or a relative but regardless, someone who provides good care. My sister-in-law was like this and she went through some tough post-partum mental stuff before she was able to understand why she was having such a difficult time. She returned to work and my nieces and nephew are now in their 20s and doing well. It was not without the usual bumps and bruises but fine just the same.
Oh please, she has always worked for a Trump company, she can come and go as she pleases really. Normal people don’t have this luxury. Why does she act like she has such a tough and super important corporate job when she has always worked for one of her daddy’s company and actually has it really easy? Also, she has had a lot of plastic surgery to look so “beautiful”.
Absolutely! She and Alexa Ray Joel have had the most phenomenal surgeons. Good for them.
I think what she was saying is that she works because she genuinely enjoys her job and is passionate about it.
I’m not going to fault her for working hard and setting a good example for the people she employs instead of exploiting her position because of who her father is. I work for a family company where nepotism is prevalent and it drives me CRAZY.
Beia – agree with you totally plus the fact that she has had a lot of plastic surgery. She was not very attractive before the surgery and I think she also had breast implants.
Apparently she must have time to go to the gym and go to the plastic surgeon during her 16-hr. days.
The argument always seems to be about the mother, that they shouldn’t be made feel guilty about working or not working. The argument should be about what’s best for the child. A child needs his mother, especially when they’re young.I have 2 children and I reduced the hours I work to stay at home most of the day with them. We’re living on a lot less money while they’re small but it’s worth the fewer holidays, less new clothes etc. Some days are boring and frustrating but there are days like that in work too.
…but who are we to say what’s best for OTHER peoples’ kids???
There are plenty of commenters on this board saying that they grew up with parents who worked long hours and they still felt loved and cared for, which to me, is all that really matters and is more important that saying “a mother MUST spend time with a child for XXX amount of hours a day”.
…and this is coming from someone who grew up with a SAHM…
Exactly. Both of my parents worked. There were short periods of time when my mom was unemployed. We were not wealthy. We lucked out simply because most of the time, dad would be done work around 1 or 2 in the afternoon (postal worker with the early shift) and mom would be going to work later. In between that we had either pre-school, or relatives watching us. We’re not less loved because we only saw each parent for a couple of hours between work and bed.
Thank you, Erinn.
Man, the people on this board are so effin judgmental. It’s not like she’s being all sanctimonious and acting like she’s the greatest mother in the world or bragging that she’s SO AMAZING for being a working mom. She’s not saying her choice is the best choice or the ideal choice, simply that it’s HER choice. If anything, she’s giving credit to SAHMs AND working mothers.
Ugh, sometimes I think people just wanna hate for no reason.
@Shins-what if the primary parent or the SAH parent is the father?
I agree that it’s ideal if one parent is financially able to work less and spend more time at home with their children but why does it have to be the Mom? It’s 2013-men can be SAH parents, too.
Becky1 – I said mother probably just because I was talking about my own situation. But father or grandmother or anyone else who can give a child one-to-one attention and who thinks the child is the best thing ever…well I think that the best thing for any child growing up….if it´s in any way possible.
When I was sixteen I worked at McDonald’s after that experience I said I will never work that hard again. Fast forward to now… I am a stay at home mom and it is hard work! I love being with my son and couldn’t imagine anyone else caring for him but I sometimes miss the old me who did work. I recently took a part time job and love it. I have found that I need a little time for myself, making my own money so I can do fun things with my son. While I wanted to hate Ivanka because she does have the help most of us peasants cannot afford I didn’t find her condescending at all. She expressed what most of us SAHM’s feel. No one told me how hard it was going to be to stay home. She is well adjusted and her child is well cared for. That should be what is important.
I like Ivanka and it’s clear she loves her daughter. I don’t understand why people that want to work 16 hour days want to have children though. She clearly doesn’t “have” to work. If she loves working, she should definitely work but her schedule seems really unbalanced. I wonder how her child will feel while she’s growing up, knowing that she has to be penciled in for time with her parents.
I’m not proud of this, but I just DON’T like her at all. I’d like to kick her really hard in the face.
I honestly had no idea she even had a kid!
I say , good for her for actually working when she could just as easily be a Hilton Wh0re. And it sounds like she is spending quality time with the kid. The 16 hour workday (everyday) figure may be slightly inflated, but I’m sure it makes the article more “interesting”.
Good for her in all aspects of her life- motherhood , work, wife etc.
I think 16 hour days is a bit much when one has a small child. Poor kid!
Damn does she ever sleep?
It’s very common though. My SIL spent about two hours between the time she got home and put the kids to bed. Some of that time was spent making dinner.
I always kept my daughter up late so I could spend more time with her and would sleep longer at her grandmas. We can’t do that anymore and it sucks. Today I put her on the bus at 7:30. I got ready for work and took my son to my parents. I will work until 5 and then go to school. I get home at 8:30 and the kids have to go to bed. If I had the option I would be a stay at home mom in a heartbeat. I can’t imagine a job more full filling than taking care of my kids. I’ve never really understood how being a stay at home mom is that hard. Take care of the kids, feed them, play with them, clean up, heck I could lay down and take a nap with them if I wanted. I had more time to cook and clean and take them to the park. But that’s just me. My husband stays home with the kids on his days off. But even though he tries, the house is still a mess when I come home. Thankfully he cooks while I clean up. Oh to have maids and chefs!!
@Ising said it right. Eight-hour working moms probably only get a couple of hours at night with their kids. Eight-hour job, plus add commuting time. Add coming home, laundry, preparing dinner, cleaning up, kids doing homework, get clothes ready for next day, pay bills, on and on, kids going to bed early. Not much time really at night after five one on one.
I remember stopping by my neighbor’s house when I was 20 at 6:00 p.m. Screaming baby, older child yelling he hated homework and mom trying to force him to sit back down to do it, mom harried trying to cook dinner. Third child hyper running everywhere. Husband yelling for him to stop. I swear I came away with PTSD, petrified of having kids. It stayed with me for several years. LOL She told me there’s a couple of hours at night with three little ones that are the twilight hours, just trying to get through, until they got a little older and things mellowed out. My one is perfect right now.
What is her job?
You know, I don’t really need her to caveat it with “it helps that I have nannies and housekeepers.” She’s clearly talking about what she wants to do, and it doesn’t sound at all like she’s saying everyone should want the same thing.
And of course she has nannies and housekeepers.
For what it’s worth, I get about 3 hours a day with my daughter, and if she weren’t a night owl, I’d probably get closer to 90 minutes or maybe 2 hours with her–between commuting and a regular work day, that’s just how the time shakes out.
You know who knows the difference between caregivers and Mommy? My daughter. I’ll bet Ivanka’s daughter does, too.
I really don’t understand why she has to work 16 hour days when her child is so small. OK, so she’s a workaholic, she’s ambitious etc. But why have a child if you can’t slow down to actually BE with the child during her most important year?
When my children were born, I stayed home with each for about a year and I cannot imagine dumping them on someone else at this stage (unless mom has to work to support the family). After my second was born I went through law school and later joined a huge law firm. During those years I was never home before 8 pm and it was killing me.. especially after my younger told me one day: “mummy, I wish you could come home early to give me a bath and put me to bed. Just ONCE, please…” And you know what? I realized that you can’t have it all. If you think you can, you’re fooling yourself. Eventually, I opened my own practice and was able to plan appointments with clients around my kids’ schedules. Sure, I made far less than previously, but I felt much happier and at ease with life. A nanny is not going to replace mom, the first year of child’s life will never be repeated. But it’s her choice and she’s entitled to it. Maybe some day she’ll figure out that slowing down to 8 hrs and making her child a priority is NOT going to make her look like a failure.
Let’s break this down. Sixteen hours a day. If she got to work at 6 am each day (guessing), didn’t take a lunch hour (this is an assumption) and left the office at 6 pm to give her daughter mommy time, leave at 7:15 pm, that would leave another 4 hours of work.
If she got back to the office at 7:30 pm, then she be there until 11:30 pm. Everyday, according to her, with two exceptions, time to make breakfast for hubby and child one morning a week and one day a week when she lunches with her child.
I have no problem with her having a career and working hard. In fact, I admire her for not just kicking back and living off her money. The only thing I see wrong is balance (I could see a 12 hour day as being a good balance). She is in an unusual position in being able to control the scope of her job. She is not someone who has to put in those hours in order to support their family.
JMO, but someone who chooses to work until nearly midnight every weeknight instead of using that time for their personal life and relationships has a problem.
I seriously doubt anyone, at the end of their life, ever said they wish they had put in more hours at the office. Ivanka will never have to worry about feeling that way.
I kind of agree with her; for me, I chose to go back to work…everyone was critical of me saying I didn’t put my child first; a bunch of crap.
But are you spending 1 hour and 15 minutes a day with your children?
I cannot stand her. To me she’s very fake. I don’t buy the 16 hr. days. I think she’s just looking for attention. She probably tries to one up everyone about everything. If I said I worked 16 hrs. a day she would probably say she worked 17.
I worked with an office manager who would say basically the same thing and sold Amway on the side everyday at work over the phone and to employees. She would come in on holidays and even after the funeral when her father died and it was all for show.
Obviously Ivanka doesn’t even look tired or stressed. So does she work one 16 hour day and take six off? None of the 16 hr. day stuff adds up. Look at her in Redbook, at the amusement park, etc. She sure has time to look good and play alot. She’s a total BS’r like her dad.
No one has to work 16 hr days often. I never heard Donald say he did. So if she is, it’s probably a lot of socializing, long lunches, and shopping on the Internet.
I think she works 16 hour days in the same way that Donald Trump is a self made man who’s businesses never fail. ie. bullshit.
Absolutely – both are braggarts and BS’rs.
She sure has a lot of time for primping for working a 16 hr. day. Doesn’t look haggard at all. She doesn’t display any sleep deprivation or have circles or bags under her eyes. Amazing! She must be able to take naps in her office.
Hmm…I don’t know. I’m an attorney. I like to work. I get wanting to work. I just don’t know if I could get behind seeing my kid for an hour a day. Why have a kid? On top of that, why have a husband? It doesn’t seem like she ever sees him either. I don’t fault her for liking her work but truly, what’s the point of choosing to have a child that you never see? I’m not asking that to be snarky but I just don’t see the point. They won’t let you adopt a dog if you say you work that much.
I’m not going to comment on the time she spends with her kid. But do ppl at her level get paid overtime? In Singapore, usually executive levels and beyond do not get paid overtime especially for very high-ranking execs. If you’re paid to work 8 hours daily but you work 16 hours without compensation, I think that company is ripping you off. And expecting such a culture from your subordinates is plain awful.
No, salaried employees do not make overtime, they are however eligible for bonuses.
I doubt very much she’s working 16 hours a day and she is most definitely not being treated the same way a salaried employee would. I’m sure she’s more than compensated for whatever the hell it is she does!
I dont care who you are and what you do, working 16 hour days is not healthy!!
If I was Ivanka’s child I’d tell her “you’re fired”.
Best comment!
She is missing a lot of important moments with her baby. Mother and daughter is an incredible bond and needs nourishment.
This isn’t right. I can respect her need to work to maintain her sanity but 16 hours a day is too much. She can’t possibly foster a healthy relationship with her daughter at that point – parenting is a hell of a lot more than bathing and feeding your child for an hour and fifteen minutes a day. Given the amount of money she has there is no need and no excuse for working that much. Poor Arabella.
I actually like her now more.
I appreciate a person who is hard-working.
I think it’s great that she is not pretending to spend a lot of time with her daughter and gives you a fairly honest glimpse to her balance (and how she is with her during the weekends).
I prefer that and her values over fake mother-superior talk.
Good for her. She looks amazing by the way.
This article just highlights what a poor choice Jared Kushner made when he chose Ivanka as mother of his child. He is a rich man, he should have chosen a woman who wants to raise her family and not one who wants to be in the game.
Also, he is a jew and he chose a woman who had to convert. There weren’t any nice jewish ladies he could have fallen in love with, one who was interested in putting her family first?
Wow-you’re making a lot of assumptions, nj! Maybe Jared Kushner didn’t want to marry someone who wasn’t career-oriented and maybe the fact that Ivanka wasn’t Jewish wasn’t important to him.
Who are you to tell him or anyone what they “should” do?
Those fifteen minutes before bedtime chats with the nanny and my holding the little child mean the world to me..
Ok, so, I live and work in NYC and I know a lot of people in the same circles as Ivanka. I am no where near as wealthy as they but still hang in the same circles.
Firstly, she almost never saw her Dad. He worked non stop and yes, she did need to be penciled in to see him
Secondly, families at this level arent close to their children the way that “regular” people are. (I am not including myself in their circle like that, as I said, Im not wealthy). These rich people are very cold and distant with their kids. From birth to a certain age they are palmed off on nannies and caretakers, they are shuttled off to camps and schools. They hardly see their kids. There is a cold distance there that I think Ivanka is merely emulating how she was raised and how Donald treated her.
Dont forget this was the man who castigated her for incorrectly drawing his “trump” building on fifth avenue because she drew 6 terraces instead of 7, or something. All she was trying to do was please the father she hardly saw.
Shes only ok to me. At the very least she is rather “classy” and dignified. At least.
Also, these upper crust marriages are rather distant, cold, businessy affairs as well. You better bet your bottom dollar that she has to tow the line being married to Jared Kutchner.
This. All This.
I see these 1% kids all the time in Soho. They come out of their apt. buildings and walk right into big black limo;s with tinted windows and then return after school stepping out of the limo and into the bldg. Totally different life and impossible to understand clearly from the outside.
So if we are to judge Ivanka, do it within her mileau. Then perhaps she does appear as a caring mother.
I watched Ivanka on TV a few times and thought she was awful. She is so plastic with her big breast implants and heavy makeup, and her speech is so stilted and affected, she is very difficult to watch.
I also don’t buy the 16 hours a day at work. If you back out the 1.5 hours Ivanka sacrifices to her daughter, that leaves 6.5 hours left in the day for sleeping, eating, bathing, spending time with her husband, etc. Sorry, not buying it.
If a woman wants to work, that’s her choice, just as it is a father’s. But both parents need to realize the impact of spending so little time with their children.
Yeah, I also did the math and it left me shaking my head. It sounds like her husband gets even less of her time than her baby, so I just can’t see how this will end well. She’ll end up like her father, going through side pieces and spouses like Kleenex, while she builds her empire.
Seems to me that her priorities are completely out of whack. And I would say that if she were a man — I honestly don’t get why people bother to get married or have kids if they spend most of their waking hours working. Especially when it’s not a matter of putting food on the table.
I think this is all propaganda, to brainwash the masses to work longer hours. Plain and simple. Twenty years ago people worked 9 to 5. Now it’s 8:30 to 6:30, all the women I work with, complain how they miss there babies. It’s horrible how long and hard people work now.
BTW. I worked for Ivanka Trumps clothing line, as a designer, I worked in the design office on 42nd street, we did all the work, for her it is a lincense deal, and when push comes to shove. She folded the company, our last day we all cried, because we had a good team, it was very sad because I really needed the job, never mind I kind of got jurked on my last check. When your daddy is rich it’s just easy to fold, and walk away and leave the real workers, designers and pattern makers hanging. because fighting is too much hard work.
She never had to move up the corporate ladder, and the fight for a proper position, everything has been handed to her.
Working all those hours a day, doing what? Hire more help in the office , today it’s like a badge of honor to work crazy hours, while unemployment is sky high. Again this is all brain washing for the masses. Today we woman don’t have a choice to stay home, if she were so clever, why has she not figured out how to work from home, with all our technology or work shorter hours. Propaganda for the masses. I work hard and don’t have time for my kids, so it’s ok for you too to feel that way it’s ok. See even the super duper rich work long hours and don’t see my kids?
POOR GIRL… WHAT A SHAME.
I’m not married and never have kids, but — taking a small part in my niece’s life — I can agree that being a mom is a very hard work. I think most moms are incredible managers.
Regarding the 16 hours work, I totally get that. Usually those working in the upper level of international corporations, the decision makers and strategists, have longer working hours. The lower you are at the corporate ladder, the more specific thing you do, and less issues.
Also, with their business sprawling to other countries, you have to consider that when some people are already in bed at 11 pm EST, she probably still has a video conference with people in Dubai (8 hrs ahead of NYC) or Singapore (10 hrs ahead of NYC).
I read it as her giving kudos to the parents who have the energy, will and capability to spend the majority of their time with their children, while acknowledging that she does not.
Doesn’t that make her a good parent?
Isn’t awareness of your shortcomings and trying your best to compensate for them what constitute good parenting?
In today’s society family-life simply doesn’t offer fullfillment enough for everyone, not for a generation used to constant distractions and instant rewards.
Many of us gets annoyed having to wait for a page to load, yet we are supposed to pretend that the patience needed to raise a toddler doesn’t wear us out?
Having children is immensly rewarding and an amazing adventure and I feel incredibly blessed to get to share their lives but why is it so horrible to acknowledge that perhaps the fact that doings with toddlers take forever and our cookies look more like failed arts and craft projects than Martha Stewarts creations is, for some, best balanced with a healthy dose of life outside the family unit?
Love, hug and support your children.
She is who she is because of her famous parents. That’s it.