Julia Roberts Gave Her 3 Teens A ‘Normal’ Childhood Despite Hectically Juggling Career & Motherhood

Jul 05, 2023

Julia Roberts has been one of the top leading ladies in Hollywood since she starred in the 1990 film "Pretty Woman," which is still one of the roles she is most remembered for. The star has received numerous accolades for her acting, including an Academy Award and three Golden Globes. 

Born on Oct. 28, 1967, in Georgia, Roberts grew up wanting to become a veterinarian. However, her plans changed as she grew a bit older, and she decided to move to New York City to pursue acting. There, she signed up with a modeling agency and began taking acting classes. 

Roberts' leap of faith worked out, and she has since become one of the most popular Hollywood actresses of all time. She won an Academy Award in 2000 for her role in "Erin Brockovich." Some of her other popular films include "Notting Hill," "My Best Friend's Wedding" and "Ocean's Eleven." Roberts is also known for being extremely beautiful — having been voted the most beautiful woman in the world five times by People magazine — and kind-hearted, helping her earn even more adoration from fans and critics alike.

However, despite being one of the most famous people in the world, the actress does her best to keep herself and her family away from the public eye. In keeping with her private nature, Roberts didn't marry another celebrity; instead, she married cinematographer Daniel Moder, whom Roberts affectionately calls Danny, in 2002. They met on the set of the movie "The Mexican," in which Danny worked as a cameraman. Together they have three children. But despite being one of the most recognizable faces in the world, Roberts is happy to play her most important roles as mom and wife at home away from the spotlight.

After being a runaway bride for much of her 20s — which included one marriage and multiple engagements that she ended — Roberts finally found the one when she met Danny. However, there was a small issue before the couple got together — Danny was still married to his first wife, Vera Steimberg, when he and Roberts met. Nevertheless, Danny ended his marriage soon after, and his love story with Roberts proved to be the real deal as they remain together and more in love than ever, more than 20 years on. 

In June 2002, the couple was married — there was no more running away for this bride! It's clear from the few times Roberts has let the public into her relationship that what she shares with Danny is incredibly special. In an interview with Gwyneth Paltrow in 2018, she said: "Really, we're so lucky in that way. We just really, really like each other and we just enjoy each other's company."

A few years after their wedding, the couple expanded their family to include twins Phinnaeus and Hazel Moder, both 18, and a son named Henry Moder, 15. Since then, Roberts has been vocal about just how much she enjoys motherhood, as she told Today: “I met (Danny) when I was ready ... And then we call these children into our lives when we're ready to best partner with them.” She also told CBS Sunday Mornings her biggest dream come true is her life as a mother and wife.

“The life that we've built with our children. And that's the best stuff. … The point is to come home at the end of the day triumphantly to them,” she said. 

Despite her hectic lifestyle juggling acting and being the mom of three teenagers, Roberts finds life at home incredibly satisfying, as she described herself as a “desperately fulfilled housewife.”

Proud mom Roberts is not afraid to share her feelings on running around after her kids and life at home. She told reporters in 2010:

“I don’t have the luxury of sitting around anymore. I must have had bags of spare time before I had children but I don’t know what I did with it and I didn’t appreciate it. But it’s such a terrific trade-off. I don’t have time to get a pedicure, but I sure am happy.”

Despite her frantic schedule, Roberts has no qualms about the ups and downs of motherhood. She said: “My life at home gives me absolute joy. There are some days when as soon as you’ve finished cooking breakfast and cleaning up the kitchen it’s time to start lunch, and by the time you’ve done that you’re doing dinner… But then there are some days when it’s just so creative and so much fun and my kids will help me. And, as with anybody who’s a mum or a wife, it just becomes part of your everyday routine. Some days it’s super fun and some days it’s a chore.”

The star may be showing up onscreen less frequently these days, which may be attributed to her prioritizing family life, including doing regular mom things like laundry, sewing, school runs and cooking. “It's my privilege and an honor to cook three meals a day for my family,” Roberts told InStyle, according to Daily Mail. She added, “it's a luxury on a level that I didn't even realize.”

She also explained why sitting down for a meal with her family is so important to her. “I usually have breakfast and dinner with my kids every day. I think it really punctuates, you know, starting things together and sort of processing and winding it down together," she said.

While Roberts and Danny remain more private than most stars when it comes to their children, they sometimes give fans rare glimpses into their family life on social media. In honor of her twins turning 18 in November 2022, Roberts shared a throwback photo of the pair in their infancy. In October 2017, Danny shared a photo of Roberts with all three of their kids that showed just how much Hazel, Finn and Henry had taken after them. In May 2019, the similarities were even more evident in a rare family portrait he posted.

Despite being one of the world’s most famous faces, Roberts has been adamant about ensuring her children get a normal a childhood as possible. She told the “Lorraine” show she and Danny were “very aligned on that front” and that:

“I think that we live a very normal experience with our children. I mean, obviously we have advantages that we didn't have as children… I don't want them to have some of the struggles that I had, but at the same time, you do need to know how to make your bed and how to do your laundry, and how to be able to make one meal … they have to run their own race, they have to have their own experience.” 

However, parenting teenagers is always a learning curve, something Roberts knows full well when she told Oprah Winfrey:

“Danny and I really don't know what it's like to be a teenager today. Sometimes my kids ask me things and I just say to them, ‘I’m going to say no, and I’m going to look into it because I don’t even know what we’re talking about.’”

Did you know Julia Roberts was so happy being a housewife and mom? Do you share her feelings about motherhood? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to family and friends, too.