Katie Lowes Admits She ‘Did Not Love’ Baby Stage of Parenting, Prefers Discussing ‘Real Stuff’ with Her Kids (Exclusive)

Katie Lowes admits she “did not love” the baby phase of parenting — but she’s all about her kids’ current ages.

Lowes recently caught up with PEOPLE exclusively while at the Baby2Baby Gala in Los Angeles. During the chat, the actress shared that while she loves being a mom, she vastly prefers being a mom to older kids versus babies.

“I have a 5-year-old and I have an 8-year-old, which is so much better than babies. I can’t even … tell you. I did not love babies,” Lowes, 43, says. 

“Baby2baby, shout out,” she continues, referring to the charity’s mission of providing babies with essential items like diapers, clothing and formula. “But the whole baby vibe is like the whole no sleeping thing while working and breastfeeding and all that. I did it, but it’s insane.”

The Hunting Wives actress went on to say that she loves that she gets to have “real” conversations with her kids now.

“I just like talking about real stuff. When [my son] asks hard questions about like, ‘Where do you go when you die?,’ and stuff like that, I’m like, ‘Let’s get into it.’ The actor in me is very excited about [the teen years]. I’m not scared about the teenage stuff. I’m kind of into it,” she added.

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Lowes, who shares her kids with husband and actor Adam Shapiro, also said she considers herself to be a “fun mom” when it comes to her personal parenting style.

“I’m chill and I have a long leash. I have a lot of patience. I really let my kids do their thing,” she said.

She shared that she is against “over parenting” and instead tries to give her kids room to breathe and be themselves. 

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“I trust them … I’m here for them, but I also am like, ‘Do your thing.’ … I’m not obsessive with them being at 8,000 classes all week.”

The Scandal actress also said that being a parent is the most challenging thing she’s ever done.

“It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life because it teaches you the most about yourself,” she explained. “There’s that saying you get the kid that teaches you the most. Yes. And so my kids have really taught me about boundaries and like what does love unconditionally —  what does it look like?”

Lowes also said that her job as an actress has fostered some “very cool” opportunities for her and her family, and never takes it for granted. 

“I have a job that I love and it’s very cool to go and shoot things. My son’s been shot in Morocco on Inventing Anna. He shot in New York in Inventing Anna. He’s come to Broadway with my husband and I. He  came to Charlotte for Hunting Wives. He’s been all over. What a gift. I’m like, ‘Your mommy and daddy have very cool jobs and you get to come.’ ”