Gwen Stefani shares unexpected glimpse into life with 3 sons: ‘It’s not what you think’

The Voice star shares sons Kingston, Zuma and Apollo with her ex-husband Gavin Rossdale

Gwen Stefani got candid about the unexpected highs and lows of parenthood in a new interview, revealing how difficult having kids really is.

The No Doubt front woman spoke to Stellar Magazine, and detailed how important her three boys, whom she shares with ex-husband Gavin Rossdale, really are in her life.

“Being a parent is not what you think it will be when you’re a little girl and you’re like, ‘I’m going to be a mom!’ It’s so deep,” she told the publication.

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“Their happiness is my happiness. Having any kind of sanity is making sure they’re safe, happy and loved.”

She continued: “The responsibility is bigger than you could ever imagine, and there’s so much pride you have through your children, and countless rewards that come along with the sacrifices, anxiety, worries and stresses that are automatic.”

The 55-year-old is the proud mother of Kingston, 18, Zuma, 16, and Apollo, 10.

She welcomed her firstborn in 2006, and recalled on DJ Khaled’s podcast The First One in 2021 just how jarring it was to become a mother.

“I remember thinking, oh my gosh, I’m going to be a mom? Like, that’s going to be weird when people tell me I’m a mom. That word just sounded weird,” she said on the show.

“But I got over that really fast, and all I ever really wanted was to have kids. I have this incredible mom, and my parents are still married and they were such an incredible example of true love and respect. And [when] you have that growing up, it’s like, I want that, I want to be that, I want to be my mom when I grow up.”

The “Don’t Speak” singer continued to explain how hard it was to remain in the moment as a working mother.

While Gwen’s marriage to Gavin sadly broke down in 2015, she found love again with her The Voice co-star, country music icon Blake Shelton.

The pair married in July 2021, and Blake is the proud stepfather of Gwen’s three sons.

“I learned quickly, not because anything happened, but just, you know, reading the room, you’ve really got [to think], ‘I have to take a step back,'” he told Entertainment Tonight of learning to parent her children.

“When people say it’s not about you anymore when you have a kid…I think, if you’re doing it right, it’s not about you anymore. That’s true.”

He delved further into how being a stepfather has changed his life with Access in 2023. “I think being a stepdad has changed my perspective in that I’m not the first person that I think about anymore,” he said.

“Even to the small little things when you go, ‘I think I’ll do this,’ the very next thought is always, ‘Well, wait a minute. How’s that going work?’ Or, ‘What will they think?’ Or, ‘How will that affect a schedule?'”

Blake was previously married to country star Miranda Lambert from 2011 until they split in 2015.