At the beginning of her career, Brooke Shields starred in tons of hit blockbusters. Now, at 54 years old, the beloved actress couldn’t imagine not spending her time as a doting mother of two girls. While recently attending the Glamour Women of the Year Awards in New York City, she opened up to Closer Weekly about raising her daughters to be strong women.

“It’s an honor to be surrounded by such incredible women, talent, brains, strength, perseverance and individuality and really to just witness it, it’s encouraging,” Brooke gushed on Monday, November 11. While chatting with Closer, the Blue Lagoon actress — who is the proud mom of Rowan Henchy, 16, and Grier Henchy, 13 — also dished the important lessons she hopes to instill in them.

Glamour Women of the Year Awards, Arrivals, New York, USA - 11 Nov 2019
Andrew H. Walker/Shutterstock

“It’s all of this,” Brooke shared, referencing the event honoring strong women. “It’s finding your power and finding your strength but owning it and owning it honestly and purely and not having to fight others necessarily for it, just the presence of it in who you are is what I try to teach them.”

The former child star — who shares her two little girls with longtime husband Chris Henchy — explained why she thinks it’s so important to teach them to be strong and confident. “There is so much bullying and so much of everything and it’s how they respond that is very important,” Brooke passionately insisted.

Although Brooke pumped the breaks on her Hollywood career after tying the knot with her screenwriter husband in 2001 and welcoming their first child in 2003, the Suddenly Susan star seems to be getting back into show business. “I’d be bored if I didn’t have so many varied creative outlets,” she told Closer last March, explaining why she likes to say “yes” to new opportunities. “I’ve never done anything else — it’s who I am.”

Since last year, Brooke has appeared in multiple TV series, most notably Jane the Virgin, as well as launched a clothing line for QVC called Timeless. “There’s always room to grow and learn,” she explained of wearing many hats. “Plus [Timeless] uses a different part of my brain.”

Juggling her social life, motherhood and work life may be difficult, but luckily Brooke gets by with a little help from her husband. “We communicate really well and try our best to stay on the same page,” she previously explained to Closer. And when it comes to parenting their girls, she added, “We always manage to form a united front.”

Brooke is such an amazing mama!

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