Mindy Kaling Shares Never-Before-Heard Deets About Parenting Her 2 Children, Katherine & Spencer

Mindy Kaling is getting candid about what it’s really like parenting her two kids during the coronavirus pandemic.

The 41-year-old actress, who’s currently promoting her partnership with Well Yes! (a line of nutritious soups by Campbell), recently sat down for an exclusive interview with PureWow. Kaling opened up about how she’s coping as a single mom of two children: Katherine (2) and Spencer (2 months).

“At the beginning it was a little maddening because—before I had my son seven weeks ago—my daughter was supposed to start preschool,” she told PureWow. “I have a pretty busy schedule with two different shows, and I’m not married. So, we both had this feeling—my daughter and I—where we were just instantly confronted with all this extra time together.”

While it hasn’t been easy, Kaling revealed that she’s cherishing these moments with her kids. “There have been challenges, but I’ve just gotten to know her personality so much better than I did before. [It’s] been really such a blessing. A nice silver lining. She’s such a funny kid, and she’s got to know me better.”

She continued, “With my son, we’re just a little clan. It’s him, me and my daughter. And we’re just like staring at each other all day long.”

If there’s one thing she’s learned as a parent, it’s “to let them be resilient. We’ll figure it out when this is all done.”

Kaling admitted that this tactic came in handy when Katherine refused to engage in online learning. “She would want it for ten minutes and then she’d start ignoring the teacher and be telling me that she was bored. I used to feel so mortified, like, ‘Oh my gosh, my kid is the only one who’s not being obedient,’” she explained. “About three weeks into it, I just decided to give myself the permission that if she doesn’t want to do it anymore, that I’m just going to be like, ‘You know what? That’s fine.’”

We’re totally trying this.