Longtime Hallmark star Tamera Mowry-Housley is proud of the way she’s managed to juggle her life as a mom, wife, and a busy actress. But the mom of two says she’s so tired of fellow moms who judge her and others for their parenting choices that she’s come up with a snarky nickname for them.
“I call them ‘momsters’ — moms that believe that their way is the only way,” she told People ahead of the Hallmark Channel premiere of her movie “Scouting for Christmas” on October 20, 2024.
In multiple interviews before the premiere, she talked about how much she related to Angela, the single working mom she played in the movie, and clapped back at judgmental moms who’ve tried to shame her and others for working outside the home while raising their kids.
“I wanted to give that beautiful example for us working moms that it’s okay,” she told People. “The balance is never truly perfect.”
Tamera Mowry-Housley Says She Focuses on Quality Over Quantity With Her Kids
In “Scouting for Christmas,” Mowry-Housley’s newly-divorced character is having a hard time balancing her real estate career with being available for her 10-year-old daughter Brooklyn. Unable to always be on time for Brooklyn’s activities, like her Sunny Scouts troop, Angela doesn’t let judgmental troop mom get under her skin.
“She lets them know that, ‘Hey, I’m doing my best. I love my child and we got this,'” Mowry-Housley explained to People. “Because quantity and quality are two different things. There are families that spend lots of time, but they’re not really spending that quality time. Like, are you present? Are you really there?’ That’s what’s important.”
Mowry-Housley sometimes has to be away from her kids — son Aden, 11, and daughter Ariah, 9 — for three weeks at a time while she’s filming her Hallmark movies, but doesn’t think that makes her a bad mom.
“You have the moms who are able to be there every waking moment of their child’s life, and that’s wonderful,” Mowry-Housley continued. “There’s also working moms trying to make ends meet and live out our dreams. Everyone has different avenues, and you have to do what’s right for you and your family. But as long as you are doing your best, you are doing enough.”
Mowry-Housley has been married since 2011 to former Fox News reporter Adam Housley, but she still deeply resonated with the divorced, single mom she played in “Scouting for Christmas,” she told TV Fanatic.
“What I love about Angela is she’s pretty much just trying to balance her life, and that’s pretty much my life,” she explained.
“There are some days you got it and you’re like, ‘Wow, I am Supermom,'” she told People. “Then there are days where it just doesn’t work out because life is not perfect. You just have to embrace, pivot, love and get through.”
Tamera Mowry-Housley Wants to Teach Her Kids That It’s Okay When People Don’t Like Them
Mowry-Housley also told Movieguide that she hopes to pass along to her children that it’s not necessary to try to please everyone or be liked by everyone.
“I had to learn this the hard way,” she told Movieguide. “But I want to normalize not being liked by everybody. Like, that’s okay. Don’t take it personal. I don’t know one person where 100% of the world likes them. It’s fine. You have your family, you have your friends, you vibe with certain people, and that’s okay.”
“Focus on the people that love you and want the best for you,” Mowry-Housley added.
“Scouting for Christmas” will air again several times during the holiday season, per Hallmark Channel:
- October 26 at 10 p.m. Eastern time
- November 1 6 p.m. Eastern time
- November 10 at 6 a.m. Eastern time
- November 20 at midnight Eastern time
- November 27 at 10 a.m. Eastern time