3 min readNew DelhiFeb 27, 2026 06:00 PM ISTEkta Kapoor talks about motherhood (Photo: Ekta Kapoor/Instagram)Producer Ekta Kapoor, 50, who embraced motherhood in 2019 via surrogacy, opened up about experiencing mom’s guilt, sharing that despite her hectic schedule, she ensures to spend time with her son, Ravi. “His name is Ravi. I have kept it in my father’s name. Also, because he was born on a Sunday. I think mother’s guilt is real. Mera beta meri zindagi me aise fit hogaya hai ki main kaam bhi karti hun toh mere saath hai (He has fit in my life in such a way that he is always with me). He comes to the office to eat. Only a few people know that no matter in which meeting I am, he eats his dinner with me every day. His dinner is with me in the office. His time is very important to me. Because I became a mother very late,” Ekta told Usha Kakde Productions on YouTube.Affirming that a mother’s guilt is real, Delnna Rrajesh, a psychotherapist and life coach, said it arises when a woman feels she is failing at work or at parenting, sometimes both simultaneously.“It is amplified by social judgment. If she works long hours, she is accused of neglect. If she scales back, she is questioned about ambition. Psychologically, guilt often signals care. It means the mother deeply values her child. But chronic guilt can distort perception. It can make a competent, loving parent feel perpetually inadequate. The healthier question is not ‘Did I do this at the right age?’ It is ‘Am I emotionally available now?'” added Delnna. Mom’s guilt is real (Photo: AI-generated)Children do not measure love in hours alone. According to Delnna, they measure it in attention. Predictability. Emotional responsiveness. Rituals. “Even small daily anchors like eating together create attachment security,” said Delnna.There is also a powerful reframing needed around so-called ‘late motherhood’, contended Delnna.“Emotional maturity can enhance parenting. A woman who has built her identity, confronted her insecurities and stabilised her ambitions often brings greater emotional clarity to motherhood. She is less likely to see her child as her only source of validation and more likely to see them as an independent individual,” said Delnna. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 혒형혖혞형 혜형혒형혖혞형 (@ukp.knownunknown)Balancing ambition and parenting requires conscious design. Some practical shifts that protect both roles include:*Creating daily rituals, however small, that belong only to parent and child.*Communicating openly with the child about work, so they feel included rather than excluded.Story continues below this adAlso Read | Bhagyashree on how she and husband Himalaya Dassani care and support each other: ‘Woh mere paiir dabaate hai’*Releasing comparison with other mothers.*Prioritising emotional presence over perfection.“The real measure is not when you became a mother. It is how consciously you mother now,” added Delnna. For more lifestyle news, click here to join our WhatsApp Channel and also follow us on Instagram© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd