Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown has said raising a daughter is a "real responsibility" and hopes to "set a standard" about the world for her child.
The 22-year-old actress is best known for starring in the hit sci-fi Netflix series as the protagonist Eleven, a teenager who has psychokinetic abilities.
Speaking as part of Unicef's My Parenting Journey campaign, Brown, who has been a Unicef goodwill ambassador since 2018, reflected on the "overwhelming love" she feels for her daughter and discussed the realities of parenthood.
When asked about the hardest thing about being a parent, she said: "Balancing work and being there for her – there’s a balance, but naturally it’s just that kind of friction of 'I really want to be there’, but also I know it’s really important to show her what it means to work hard."
She continued: "Raising a daughter is a real responsibility.
"I just try to learn as much as I can and feed it into her life, so that she knows nothing other than girls supporting girls, women succeeding, women achieving their dreams and living in a world and building a world for her – that isn’t unrealistic but it sets a standard for her to know that she shouldn’t settle for anything less."
Brown said no-one prepared her for "the love" that comes with motherhood, and said: "People say they love their children. I don’t understand how that much happens in my heart.
"The feeling is so overwhelming, it’s just incomprehensible."
If in doubt she said she calls her mother or mother-in-law for advice or reassurance adding that she feels "so honoured to have support" from them.
Meanwhile, her advice for other new parents is to take it one day at a time and that she and her husband will say: "Today was today, and tomorrow is going to be tomorrow.
"You just take it day by day."
Brown was just 12 when she filmed the first series of Stranger Things, which aired in 2016, with the series coming to an end on New Year’s Day.
The actress will return to screens in Netflix’s Enola Holmes 3, reprising her role as the title character, the mystery-solving sleuth sister to Sherlock Holmes, which is due to be released in July.
She is also known for starring in the 2024 fantasy film Damsel, 2025’s sci-fi action film The Electric State alongside Chris Pratt, and will lead the upcoming rom-com Just Picture It alongside Gabriel LaBelle.
Source: Press Association
