Wendy Williams Talks Parenting Teenage Son & Experiencing Two Miscarriages

If she and your husband have any parenting philosophies: 

I think the main thing you have to understand as a parent is that it’s you against them. Don’t let [the kids] divide you. I’m over it when my son says to me: “Don’t tell daddy!” Every once in a while I don’t tell daddy, depending on what it is, just like I’m sure he has conversations with his dad where it’s guy stuff. But when it comes to detrimental stuff—“You got a D on a test and you don’t want me to tell daddy?”—it’s like: “Oh no, I’m telling! And I’m going to tell you right now that I’m telling, and you will not divide me and your father!”

How the challenges of parenting changed now that her child is older: 

There are a few things that have eased up now that Kevin is 15 and a sophomore in high school… I’m [feeling like]: “Oh, he’s about to leave home now. He doesn’t need me for as many things as he used to…” When he stays after school for extra help, it’s not even me swooping down on the situation and being involved, it’s Kevin being smart enough to know that he needs to ask for extra help. I think my job might be almost over, even though they say you never stop being a parent… His grades are really good and he’s got a good vocabulary and he really doesn’t ask me for a lot, which, on one hand is great because I find more time to lay on the couch and watch “Inside Edition,” but, on the other hand… You never stop being a parent, but where does the time go?

Advice for women who have experienced a miscarriage: 

I was five months pregnant when I had my first [miscarriage]. It turns out that what I had was a weak cervix…I had two five-month miscarriages, and [the babies] both had names and the nurseries were set up for both; those were babies. I was on the radio, at that time, in Philadelphia, and I was a popular disc jockey and I had already gone out and done appearances—people saw me with the belly and had heard me talking about it! Then I had the miscarriage and it was like: “Okay, let’s talk about it! Come on, girls!” Turns out, girls all over were like: “This happened to me! And that happened to me…” So I say talk about it, and talk about it often when it’s appropriate, because the only way that we get stronger and more knowledgeable as women is if we stop being such bald-faced liars and stop acting like everything’s perfect. I only breastfed my son for like two weeks and I felt like such a failure…I was collapsed in my closet, just sobbing, and my mother heard me—because she’s nosey—and said: “Wendy, what’s going on?” And I said: “Mommy, I just can’t breastfeed anymore—I’m crying and sobbing and Kevin’s only two weeks old and I just can’t! I gained 103 lbs, and I hate to be selfish, but I need to lose some weight! I’m on the radio, I have a showbiz career going on here! Can I have some wine? I’ve been on my back for nine months and I’ve been trying to have a baby for the past 2.5 years!” I explained this to my mother and she screeches down to my father: “Tom! Bring the car around and bring the coupons for the Good Starts!” Turns out my mom had coupons [for formula] saved up for me… I feel like I’m no less of a woman because I didn’t breastfeed, but women don’t share that stuff—so you can feel like you’re less of a woman. My advice to women and to mothers is: Share stuff if your kid goes through something—whether it’s substance abuse or you bought him condoms or you caught her with condoms! If moms talked more, when appropriate and with the right listening ear, we’d be a lot better.

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