via mstarz.com
Known for her work as an actress (Charmed), a designer (Touch), and an author (Hacktivist), Alyssa Milano‘s professional and personal career is surrounded by poignant observations and great stories. In an exclusive interview with MStars News, Milano discusses her debut as Sprout Network‘s first ever Mom-Bassador, serving as the voice and personality of Kindness Counts.
Spearheading the nationwide search for Sprout’s chief kindness officer of 2016, the Sundays at Tiffany’s actress talks about how the limelight prepared her to become Mom-Bassador, her thoughts on what makes the network special for parents and their children, and how creativity can be found in the unlikeliest of places.
MStars News: Tell me about being Sprout’s first ever Mom-Bassador and what it means to you.
Alyssa Milano: Well, it’s very exciting for me because we are a big Sprout family and we have been forever. So when I got the call that Sprout was interested in me for this, I was so excited! And just to be able to be a part of something that means so much to my kids and their childhood is everything!
MS: Because you grew up in the spotlight, especially in front of viewers who watched you on television, since Who’s the Boss, do you feel you those lessons you learned helped you adapt to modern times?
AM: I think that everything you go through in your life teaches you lessons that need to lead you to the place you are today. So yes, I would hope that I would have grown from that experience. I try to grow from every experience and use what I know to encourage healthy childhood for my children.
MS: Do you see yourself more as being a role model as you stand up to things that you believe in for your children, especially now as Mom-Bassador?
AM: Yes, I think that a very big part of being a parent is being an advocate for anything that they need in life. Really advocating for their health and safety and future is really important to me.
MS: Sprout provides preschool children with activites online and on TV. What do you think makes the network a valuable tool for families?
AM: Well, I love everything that Sprout stands for. I love that it’s all about inspiring learning by doing and finding the extraordinary in the ordinary, and celebrating that life is not perfect. Sometimes it gets messy but you’ve got to go with the flow and grow from it.
And I love that the cultivating curiosity and all of those things. And these are things that I try to do with my kids on a daily basis. So obviously, those are all very important things to me and I love the network because they really embody all of that.
MS: Sprout features original programming, including Clangers, The Chica Show, Astroblast, and Ruff-Ruff, Tweet and Dave. What shows do you enjoy watching with your children?
AM: We’re just a Sprout family! We love watching the network! We wake up every morning with the Sunnyside Up show. We go to sleep every night with the Good Night show. So just the fact that I get to…that my kids are going to get to hear my voice on the TV is pretty cool!
MS: Tell me about being the face of Kindness Counts and that particular value.
AM: I think really learning to be kind to yourself is really important. We put so much pressure on ourselves to try to be perfect in every area of our lives. We try to be the perfect wife, the perfect mom, the perfect businesswoman, the perfect – whatever it is – homemaker, cooker – whatever it is.
And it’s just, I think, an unrealistic goal to try to reach. I think it is so much more important to be kind to yourself and know I’m going to do the best that I can always by my family, but sometimes something’s going to give and something’s not going to be perfect. And I’m going to have to learn to be okay with that because I’m doing the best I can.
