Drew Barrymore has praised her ex-husband Will Kopelman for being supportive.
Drew Barrymore
The 'Santa Clarita Diet' actress split from the art consultant in 2016, but they have remained friends and she feels "lucky" he is there to provide stability for their daughters Olive, five, and Frankie, three, when her work takes her away from them because she knows not all working mothers have the same "luxury".
Drew praised Will in an Instagram post explaining how she makes her separations easier for her oldest daughter.
Sharing a picture of Will and Olive, she wrote: "I would like to say that I am so lucky for [her] father. Because as I go through these struggles as a woman and a mother, I also have the fortune of knowing she is safe and happy and loved.
"Playing and continues her normal stable amazing life with her amazing dad. And not all working mom's have that luxury. So I say to Will Kopelman thank you for always being the best dad and supporting and enabling me to do what I need and want to do.
"I know that's not everyone's situation. And I never take it for granted. I never had family growing up. And that's also a support system I cherish every day of my life.(sic)"
The 43-year-old star also explained one "successful" approach she's taken to help Olive adjust to her being away is a calendar, which allows the youngster to see when her mom will be back.
She explained in another post: "I circle with sharpie every day I will be traveling. And I ask her to mark the day with an X once it's done. That way she can see that I am gone at first, still away in the middle, and then coming back towards the end. She now has a good sense of my geographic place from the globe. She knows when I am leaving and coming home.(sic)"
And Drew thinks it is important to speak positively about work, hoping it will later "empower" her daughters to follow their own dreams.
She said: "I always explain to her that I love my Job. I don't say "I have to go work" with a grimace on my face, because I fear it will make her feel negative about something a lot of moms must do to provide.
"My friend once said "never make your child feel like work is the bad thing taking you away from them" and I realized a lot of us tend to do that to try to make our kids feel better and that work is the yucky thing taking us away.
"It's a good intention, but I am convinced I need to take a different approach. I want to empower my daughters to think work is good and necessary. And can even lead them to road of their dreams. I feel guilty as hell for being away (and what mother doesn't?!)
"But i try a way to empower me and my kids into something more positive. I don't blame work, i own the responsibility. I will be patient when she is upset if i am away. (sic)"
But one thing the 'Whip It!' star has learned not to do when she's away is make video calls, as it's just upsetting for everyone.
She explained: "I tried a few methods at first... and if you ever want to correspond with Olive, don't face time with her. I learned that the hard way.
"My face time would come out of nowhere into her world, and it would be so disruptive. Neither of us felt good after. But she's young and that will change when she gets older. (sic)"
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