Gabrielle Union Says Motherhood Later in Life Is ‘Worth It’
Gabrielle Union is glad she became a mother later in life. The Perfect Find star, 50, discussed how she “became a mom at the right time.” In her Instagram video, Union shared that she has been able to “heal” from past traumas and not pass them on to her daughter, four-year-old Kaavia James. As she applies body butter, the actress says people always ask, “‘Is it worth it? Having kids later in life?'” Explaining that the answer is more complex, Union says, “In a nutshell: hell yeah, it’s been worth it.” She welcomed Kaavia via surrogate in November 2018 with husband Dwyane Wade, 41, after the couple married in 2014. The actress is also stepmom to Wade’s children, Zaire, 21, and Zaya, 16, shared with his ex-wife Siovaughn Funches, and Xavier, 9, with Aja Metoyer.
Healing For Kaavia
“It’s changed my life in so many wondrous ways that it does make me wish I had done it earlier, just so I have even more time with Kaav. I even have more time as a mom,” Union continued. She then reflected on the timing of her journey to motherhood because she was “healed.” Union’s commitment to “healing eternally, so I didn’t pass all that generational trauma onto Kaav.” She continued, “Had I been a day younger, even, certainly 10, 15, 20 years before, I would have passed along way too many traumatic things to my child.” The Bring It On alum admits she wasn’t in a place to take care of herself before healing from all of her traumas.
Union’s Trauma
When Union was a teenager working at a Payless Shoe store, a man robbed the shop and raped her at gunpoint. In January, she told People, “I’ve been talking about my rape publicly for 25 years.” While filming season three of AppleTV+’s Truth Be Told, Union was triggered due to the locations they filmed for the show. Union plays a woman who attempts to keep media attention on a list of missing Black girls who may have become victims of human trafficking. She told the publication there were literally locations that are a part of her past as it pertains to her rape. “Every day was a trigger, and to be triggered for months on end, it literally frazzled me.”
In March, Union opened up more about her role as a mom at the 2023 Film Independent Spirit Awards. The speech came a day after Zaya legally changed her name and underwent gender assignment. “Your kids are worth fighting for,” Union told Extra at the time. “Your children are not disposable, and even when faced with something that you might not be as familiar with or comfortable with [it is] not an excuse to throw your kids away.”
