Jenny Mollen, Actress And Mother Of Two, Discusses Mom Guilt

With two young children and a busy career, actress Jenny Mollen has a lot on her plate. Known for her role in the television series Angel, as well as films My Best Friends Girl and Cattle Call, Mollen is used to a jam packed schedule. She is also the author of best selling book of comedic essays, I Like You Just The Way I Am. Married to Orange is the New Black actor Jason Biggs, Mollen and her husband both live busy lives. However, none of their past projects would compare to how crazy life gets with two little boys in the picture.

According to People, trying to do it all sometimes causes Mollen to experience mom guilt.

Biggs and Mollen have two sons together, 1-year-old Lazlo and 4-year-old Sid. The two boys keep the couple on their toes, as they try to balance their careers and be devoted parents. Mollen mentioned having to enlist the help of a live-in nanny to assist with keeping everything running smoothly. Although knowing this decision was what was best for her children, she often feels guilty for the time she spends away from them.

“My husband and my nanny help me juggle but at the end of the day, nothing makes it easy,” she said. “The guilt that comes with being a mom is there when you are with them and when you aren’t.”

It was this guilt that caused Mollen to shift into mom-overdrive, trying to go above and beyond to ensure she was doing everything possible to benefit her two sons.

“Then one day, I think when I was pregnant and nesting, I just found myself compelled to make the extra effort,” she recalled. “I was probably feeling guilty.”

In her own childhood, Mollen didn’t have anyone making the extra effort to ensure her well-being. Because of this, she wants to be certain that her children know they are her first priority. This includes small acts of going the extra mile, such as preparing healthy and creative lunches for her children to take to school. Though her sons might not realize the effort she is putting in now, she hopes they will grow up knowing that their parents took an active role in their day-to-day lives.

Though she wants her sons to grow up having everything they need, she also wants them not to take their blessings for granted.

“I’m also raising kids in Manhattan so I am very conscious of not letting them turn into little privileged, white, coke heads,” she joked.