Exclusive: Jamie Chung admits she's 'found herself more' after becoming a mother: 'It's been a crazy journey'

Before becoming a mother, Jamie Chungwho welcomed twins via surrogate in October 2021 with her husband Bryan Greenberghe used to have a different lifestyle, but now that kids are in his life, he wouldn’t change it for the world.

“Before the kids came, I was holding on to my identity. I was like, ‘I don’t want to lose myself in this role.’ My mom gave up everything for us, and I’m so thankful, but I’m also sad because she hasn’t been able to live her life to the fullest and chase her dreams of hers,” she exclusively tells the 39-year-old Morning honey while talking about his collaboration with Duracell to support the #SafeHolidays campaign to help keep children safer. “After taking a year off to raise my kids, the irony is that in the last year, I’ve only discovered more about myself by becoming a mother. I was so scared of losing him, but I actually learned more about myself growing up.” my children than I would have done if I had continued with life and continued to work”.

“It’s been a really crazy journey, and it does turn your life upside down. You have to readjust and reevaluate. It makes you grow in many ways, both in your relationship with yourself and as a parent,” adds the actress.

As a result, the brunette beauty has learned that she’s “capable of doing so much more.”

“I’m a great actor, but now that I’m a mom and taking care of two kids, I can do it all!” she declares. “I probably do more than the average person before 9 in the morning. I’ve already cooked two meals, fed them twice, taken them for a walk in the park, changed two diapers. I’m capable of doing a lot but also capable of juggle more things I’m also capable of wearing many hats while retaining my identity”.

When Chung is busy, she appreciates downtime. “You’re able to do both, but even on set, I’m like, ‘I love to work.’ I love showing up on set. I always need to do something,” she points out. “I was back on set in New York and they said, ‘It’s going to be 30 minutes.’ I was like, ‘Wow, 30 minutes to myself. That’s amazing!’ These are the little things you need to take advantage of.”

In the end, Chung didn’t I want the kids to “be spoiled”.

“I want them to understand what it’s like to make a dollar and what it takes to have a roof over your head and a hot meal for dinner,” she says. “As soon as they’re old enough, I’ll put them to work: they’ll have to take out the trash, clean the table. I feel like my parents really instilled that work ethic in me. It’s something I don’t know I don’t want to lose with my kids.” .

Since kiddos are growing up so fastthe former TV personality knows she has to keep her home safe, which is why her partnership with Duracell to support the #SafeHolidays campaign it was child’s play.

“You’re watching these babies develop at different rates and you see how they interact with each other, which is so fun. Sometimes they have trouble with the remote and we have to be careful. My kids are 13 months old and they’re crawling everywhere and getting into everything.” , he reveals. “You turn your back and they have something in their mouths. You quickly realize that you are childproofing your home: put locks on certain cabinets, lock doors, cover sockets, etc. Parents are finding out where these are lithium batteries in our home, and especially with the holidays around the corner, we have all these decorations that use these little batteries. I want to spread awareness to let other parents know that it is harmful if the child swallows the battery. Locate all the objects in your home and replace them with something else”.

“Since it’s the best time of year, I love decorating the house, so it makes sense to be aware of what kids shouldn’t be putting in their mouths,” she adds. “These are precautions you need to take as a parent.”

On November 15, Duracell will launch new educational materials, such as a holiday-themed infographic, designed to help educate parents and caregivers on how to practice lithium button cell safety and what to do if accidentally swallowed.