We all know the stereotype of the Hollywood actress even at charity events, shes the botoxed and bejeweled diva who shows up and demands to know, "What's in it for me?"
That less-than-flattering image was completely laid to rest at the P3 Beauty and Forbes Life Executive Womans Moms Day of Beauty, held last week at the sleek and luxurious Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Although many celebrity moms turned up for the event, they did so knowing they were not the queens of the day.
So just who were the stars? The mothers of young patients of the Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles, a renowned medical center that treats kids from all social, financial and ethnic backgrounds. Thirty-two dedicated moms, many of whom practically live at the hospital with their kids, were invited to indulge in makeovers, hair styling, manicures and much-deserved massages.
High-profile mothers such as Cindy Crawford, Jamie Lee Curtis, Laura Dern, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, Lisa Rinna and Ming Na flocked here to support these moms, whose little ones suffer from such life threatening ailments as leukemia, brain tumors or cystic fibrosis.
None of the stars asked for any pampering treatments.
They were solely there to open their hearts and to lend an ear.
"Its so important for these women to take time out for themselves," says Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, the mother of sons Christian, 4, and Ryan, 2. "One of these moms told me, Oh, I thought I was going to get a massage I didnt know we got to get our nails and hair done, too. They work so hard and give so much to their families. They are so excited to finally have a little Me Time."
Laura Dern, mom of son Ellery, 6, and daughter Jaya, 2, was so moved by the stories she heard that day she ended up in tears. "One of the mothers told me her four-year-old is suffering from cancer," says the one-time Oscar nominee. "I asked her how she was doing and she said, Things are going so well. He made it to another birthday." Laura paused to catch her breath. "That is their experience of their life with their child right now," she says. "They don't want to leave the hospital. What if theyre away and something happens?"
One could only be touched by seeing these mothers smile as they got their long-neglected tresses blown dry or their make up done. For many, this was the first time they had tended to themselves in months.
Read on for what these celebrity moms said when we asked, "How do you make the most of your quality time with your child?"
"For some moms it almost seems as though life outside the Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles is put on pause," says Brenda Quionez-Garca, a social worker in the hospitals leukemia and lymphoma program. "They learn to live day by day. There is no certainty of what tomorrow holds for their child. And yet, for so many of these moms, even with a very sick child, life cannot stop. They still have to juggle home life and work stresses; they have to take care of other children, their spouses, pay the bills, get the homework done. What falls at the end of this spectrum? Self care, of course." Finally, these mothers were indulging in a little of that with some help from their new friends from Hollywood.
"When you put a group of moms with sick children together you are bound to get emotion and sharing," says Jamie Lee Curtis of that special day. These women, along with mothers everywhere, she added, should never forget about taking care of themselves.
"A mother," she says, "is the most important person in a childs life, bar none. That alone should define our priorities."
When tending to sick or injured children, mothers clearly have limited time for their other children. With that in mind, Modern Mom asked the stars at the Moms Day of Beauty, "How do you make the most of your quality time with your child?"
Here's what they said:
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