#holly x adiran

[starliightxo]

THE PARENTHOOD INTERVIEW - Holly Smith

10 QUESTIONS NOT LINKED TO YOUR KID(S).

what is your current career now? - I do a lot of lowkey song writing and behind the scenes things, just to keep me busy. But I stepped out of the spotlight when I got pregnant with Ally.

are you enjoying it? - I love it. Its a very relaxed lifestyle nowadays, adrian and I travel a lot and just enjoy life. 

where do you currently live? - We still live in the springs but we do have a place in new york that both the girls have used as well

are you married? - yes (?)

what is one thing that’s stayed the same with you since st judes? - A lot of things to be honest. There’s been crazy ups and downs but I like to think I’ve stayed relatively the same, if not grown as a mother. My relationship has stayed as strong. And my love for song writing, that’s not going away any time soon.

what’s the biggest change you’ve experienced? - As cliche as it sounds, motherhood. Its no secret I got there in a very complicated way, but it made the adjustment rough. I love my girls and my family more than anything but learning how to be a mum and hold a family together has been the biggest change in me and my life.

now that you’re older and have had a successful career, what’s your biggest goal in life? - my relationships with my girls. I want that to be stronger and I think that’ll be my goal until the day I die now. Nothing else matters as much. 

would you still consider yourself famous? - Yes and no. Not currently but I suppose my name is recognised from my days at St Judes and the few years after more than anything. I wouldn’t say I get papped at all now, which was the goal.

what was the first thing you did after your graduation? - Travelled and wrote my first album to be released outside of the academies. 

do you have any regrets about your time in st judes? - There’s plenty of regrets in live everywhere but lingering on them doesn’t do anybody any good so I try not to. I try to learn from them and do better in the future.

QUESTIONS ABOUT PARENTHOOD.

who are your children? list them in age order. - Haley & Ally

if you gave birth, who was the easiest pregnancy? if you didn’t, which pregnancy did you feel most anxious about. - Ally was the easiest because it was the first I could actually sit back and enjoy the process without all the craziness of only being a teenager. But they both made me anxious in different ways. Obviously with Haley I was very young and very out of control of my choices and the situation. With Ally it was a case of not screwing it up now that my choices were actually what mattered. It was down to just me and Adrian and I was anxious that we couldn’t do as well as we dreamed it.

did you have any baby showers or gender reveals? if yes, what did you do? - I didn’t for either. They felt too personal, it was me and Adrian against the world. We obviously had family around us a lot but we didn’t do a huge celebration until birthdays and Christmases. 

what kind of parent would your children describe you as, do you think? - I don’t think I’ve found the right balance between giving them space or being too smothering. I’m working on it.

which stage was hardest: baby, toddler, child, teenager or young adult? - Teenager and young adult for both. When they get their own lives, its really hard working out where and how you fit into the picture. I want them to grow be their own people and make their own choices and mistakes, but I want to go along for the journey without getting in the way.

what has been your favourite memory with each child? - I loved the bedtime routine when they were growing up. We’d start super early just so we had enough time to act out our bed time stories. A lot of the time we had our blanket forts and fairy lights. Their imaginations and energy were beautiful but it tired them out and eventually as soon as their head hit the pillow, they were out like a light. 

be honest, do you think you’ve had any failings as a parent? - Yes

what do you think you do well as a parent? - I think I do my best but there’s no perfect parent handbook. You learn as you go. 

how much involvement do your own parents have in your child’s life? - They don’t

as a parent, what is something you’re still learning? - Everything. Like I said before, the balance of being in their lives and not smothering them. 

what’s the funniest memory from parenthood so far? - Adrian’s face in the delivery room 

when do you feel like you were needed the most? - With Haley I feel like it was when she first moved in. With Ally I get the overwhelming sense that she always needs me, but she’s very good at not showing it. It’s a guessing game, to be honest. 

JUST FOR FUN, WHICH CHILD... if you have just one child, you can just say if they’d do the stuff or not.

which child is the most sensible? - Haley

which child is the most independent? - Ally 

which child did you always have suspicions about being famous one day? - I don’t think I saw it for either of them. Maybe Haley when she was really young and she was into dancing

which child was the hardest work as a child? - Ally; she’s a lot like Adrian so I’m sure you can imagine. 

which child have you cried/stressed over the most? - Both both both

which child has the tidiest room? - Haley 

which child do you think likes you the most? - Haley

which child is most likely to forget your birthday? - I don’t think either 

which child is/was the most academic? - Haley 

which child is/was the most athletic? - Ally 

which child tends to be the most annoying? - Adrian 

which child asks for money the most? - Neither of them do

which child is most likely to move in back home? - Haley 

which child helps out around the house the most? - Neither lol

which child enjoyed disney the most growing up? - Definitely Haley

BEING AN ACADEMY PARENT.

did you have a say in the academy(s) your child(ren) picked? - Not at all 

how did you feel when your child decided they wanted to go to an academy? - Naturally I was nervous because I’ve been there but I’ll support anything and everything they want to do. 

do any of your children study the same as what you did? are they less, equally or more successful than what you were? - Haley does music like I did and I’m so proud with how different to my stuff her stuff is. She’s found her own identity with it and I’m very excited to see where they both go

when your child(ren) were younger, what did you THINK they’d end up working as? - I definitely thought Haley would dance but somewhere in her early teens, she gave it up. A big shock. With Ally it was hard to see her in a profession, all I could see was her travelling and seeing everything, She’s a lot like her dad in the sense she isn’t one to sit still and she has huge ambition outside of academics and relationships and things.

have you met any of your child’s friends or partners? - Other than childhood friends, not really. I’ve heard a lot about Brett and I adore him. 

what’s your biggest worry about your children being in an academy? - It can chip away at parts of you and who they both are is perfect. I don’t want anything to alter that in a negative way. I want them to grow without knocked down along the way.

what’s the one piece of advice you’d give your child as they start this journey that you wished you had? - The right people we support you no matter what. If there’s someone who doesn’t, they’re not worth you worrying about.

MEMORY LANE.

what tv programmes/films were on repeat as your children were growing up? - Disney. As soon as Haley looked away, Ally and Adrian took over the TV and I have no idea what they’d watch. A lot of cartoons and things that made them laugh.

have you ever lost your child/had something happen that’s made you panic? - Every second of every day. When they were younger, I swear they took turns disappearing in the shops and stuff just to freak me out and laugh about it later

what was the first holiday you went on as a whole family? - I know we did Disney and New York a lot. I don’t remember the first one specifically, all I remember is it was a beach holiday. It quickly became one of the girls’ favourite places, especially Ally. 

can you remember a time you’ve ever been called to the principals office? - Too many times to count. Ally liked mischief, like her dad. Haley liked playing on any kind of sickness. With the slightest sniffle, she’d have a meltdown and convince the teachers she was dying so I had to pick her up

say one thing about your child that you think they’d like to hear, but wouldn’t expect you to say. - I haven’t done enough and I never could, but I want to try every day because nothing else matters to me like you do.