Jeannie Mai Jenkins, who is best known for co-hosting The Real, admitted that she never wanted to be a mom. But one day, after marrying her husband, Jeezy, that all changed.
In a new interview with People, Jeannie admitted that she never wanted to start a family of her own because of her own childhood trauma. And even though she is pregnant now, she is still “very protective of women and people who don’t want to have kids.”
“I don’t like the guilt and the pressure that’s placed on women to have children. Just because we’re women, it means that we have the choice; it doesn’t mean that we have to have children.”
Jeannie Mai went on to say that it was her “trust issues” that at one point kept her from becoming a mom. As the host has opened up in the past, Jeannie was sexually abused as a child by a family member for five years.
Jeannie Mai Jenkins Talks Becoming Mom In Spite of Her Childhood Trauma
Sadly, when she opened up about the abuse to the people who were supposed to protect her, they didn’t believe her. Jeannie Mai told her viewers that she grew up adamant about never wanting kids because “’I didn’t trust myself’ to protect her future child from what happened to her at a young age.”
And while she’s still dealing with those feelings of trust issues and loss of confidence, Mai admits that “it still scares me whether or not I can keep a kid safe from someone else who might hurt them.” But now, she and Jeezy have a dream of giving their child the childhood that they never had.
“I’m so thankful because I’ve never felt this ready. I’ve been through so much, and I’ve survived and I’m shining. My heart is ready,” she says of awaiting her “pride and joy” baby, adding, “I was meant to be a mom.”
Jeanie admitted that as someone who has lived through and survived so much trauma, she has burdened herself with the goal of “facing her fears.” “People who’ve really bad trauma, they’re constantly burdened with this fear that something bad is going to happen next. What I’m determined to do is face my fears and do everything I can to understand where it comes from so that I know it’s not real.”
RELATED: Jeannie Mai Reveals Why She Threw Her Handwritten Vows In The Pool After Marrying Jeezy
After marrying Jeezy, Jeanie also became a stepmom to his two kids from a previous relationship. And now she can’t wait to have one of her own.
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