Being a mother in Hollywood comes with its own unique set of challenges, like trying to keep children out of the public eye, and raising them in a stable environment. This is a challenge that Katie Holmes has risen to.

Fans would have noticed that she has appeared in fewer films in recent years, and although she still works as an actress, it seems she has a new focus. That focus is being a mother to her only child, a daughter named Suri, whom she shares with ex-husband Tom Cruise.

Katie Holmes chose a life of fame for herself, and her path has proven to be a successful one. She has millions of fans across the globe, and the paparazzi keep close tabs on her, but she doesn’t want that for her daughter, and she tries to shield her from Hollywood as much as possible. In fact, she has walked away from many projects because she wanted to offer her daughter a more stable, normal childhood. It’s clear that if Holmes had to choose between Hollywood and her daughter, it would be her daughter who wins every time.

Below are 20 times Katie Holmes chose Suri over Hollywood, and we loved her for it.

20 She Admits That Every Choice She Has Made Since Becoming A Mom Was With Suri In Mind

Every parent understands that when you bring a life into the world, you need to be there to care for and love that person, and things in your life invariably change. This is something Katie Holmes knows all too well, and now, instead of making decisions for herself, she always considers her daughter, too, and every choice she has made since becoming a mom was with Suri in mind.

In an interview with Women’s Health (via Entertainment Tonight Canada) she spoke about this, saying, “Being a parent, every choice I make it with my child in mind.”

19 She Tries To Keep Hollywood Out Of Suri’s Life As Much As Possible

Katie Holmes chose a life of fame for herself, and her path has proven to be a successful one. She has millions of fans across the globe, and the paparazzi keep close tabs on her. But she doesn’t want that for her daughter, and she tries to shield her from Hollywood as much as possible.

“I try to make our world very much an environment that’s just all about being a kid without too much of Hollywood coming into that. And I just enjoy it,” she told the New York Times of the way she is raising her daughter.

18 Even When She Went Back To Work, She Dedicated Her Film To Her Daughter

Katie Holmes has not stopped working entirely, but she has gotten more picky about the projects she takes on. She also changed direction from an actress to a director for the film, All We Had, and dedicated her work on the film (her first directorial debut) to her daughter, adding, “Dreams come true.”

The actress spoke to the New York Times about this, explaining why she chose to mention her daughter. "It was my first film, and I want her to always know that she’s the inspiration behind everything, and so hopefully it means something as she gets older,” she said, adding, “Just to let her know how important she is.”

17 She Has Worked Hard To Give Suri A Stable Childhood

Katie Holmes has appeared in fewer films in recent years, and that’s because she understands that the demanding schedules and time spent on set do not exactly make for a stable childhood for her daughter. For this reason, she has ensured that she is always available so that her daughter has a more normal childhood.

In an interview with Town & Country, Holmes admitted that the most important thing in her life is her daughter. “My child is the most important person to me and her upbringing is paramount to my work right now,” she said. “It’s very important that I’m present and she has a stable, innocent childhood.” And this is a comment most parents can relate too.

16 She Is Happy To Have The Job She Has, But Admitted There’s Nothing Better Than Seeing Her Child Succeed

Some mothers choose to give up their work to spend time with their children and focus on raising them, others would like to, but are not afforded that luxury as their finances dictate that they must work. And then there are those moms who want to work, and juggle motherhood and their work.

Women should do whatever is best for themselves and their families, and Katie Holmes acknowledged this in an interview with Town & Country, but also noted that in some ways, seeing her child succeed is even more important than her own success. “I feel so blessed to do what I do, but there’s nothing in the world better than watching your child succeed,” she said.

15 Katie Wants Her Daughter To Feel Loved, And That’s Her Main Priority

 

We all want things, some are materialistic, others are goals and dreams we want to fulfill, but at the end of the day, it is the things that money cannot buy, like love and happiness, that are the most important. At least, this is the way Katie Holmes feels, and her views affect the way she parents her daughter.

“I think the basics are important: the number one thing is making sure my child feels loved,” she told Elle UK in 2014 (via Daily Mail). “[I want her to feel] good about herself. And then what she does and who she is, is special and important and should be celebrated. And my mom always said, ‘No one loves you like your mother.’"

14 She Has Changed Direction In Her Work And Prefers To Manage Films Now

Hollywood stars seem to live enviable lives and want for very little, but there is also a downside to fame, and this downside includes a busy schedule, and difficulty keeping their private lives out of the media. But Katie Holmes has made many decisions over the course of the last few years that have helped her find a way to become more flexible in her work commitments so that she can be with Suri -- yet another example of how she put her daughter before Hollywood.

“This business is so unstable, and you never really know where you’re going to be,” she told Town & Country. “The thing about directing is I can say I have this window and that’s when we’re getting it done.”

13 She Wants To Spend As Much Time With Suri As Possible Because She Knows She’s Growing Up Fast

Children grow up so quickly. This is something that parents so often say, as they reflect upon the times when their kids were little and needed them. When children become teenagers and adults, they seem to need their parents less and start to find their own way in life. This can create a pang in a mother’s heart, which is why Katie Holmes knows it’s so important to spend time with her daughter before she grows up and becomes more independent.

“Every day, kids get a little further away from you,” she said in an interview with Town & Country. “That’s a positive thing. They should be becoming more independent, but it’s heartbreaking. You want them to stay with you forever, but they’re these amazing beings, and you have to do everything you can to give them what they need ― and then they’re going to go. And that’s going to be very, very sad for me.”

12 Instead Of Spending New Years At Big Events, She Spends Them With Suri

Parents need breaks from their offspring sometimes, to do adult things, but Katie Holmes has proven time and time again that spending time with her daughter really is her priority (and not just something she talks about in interviews).

According to Us Weekly, when she had the opportunity to spend New Year’s in Singapore with her boyfriend, Jamie Foxx, she instead chose to go to Park City, Utah, for a ski trip with her daughter. An insider spoke to the publication about Holmes's parenting, saying, “She’s an amazing mom. She’ll choose her family over him any day.”

11 She Has Raised Her Daughter Away From The Spotlight Despite Being A Mega Star

Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise were one of Hollywood's IT couples during their relationship, and there was a lot of media attention surrounding their time together. But when Holmes decided to divorce Cruise in 2012, she also made the decision to pull away from the spotlight, a decision it seems she made for the benefit of not only herself but also her daughter.

In an interview with Town & Country, she spoke about the media attention in her life and what it was like raising a child in this environment. "In today’s world a lot of celebrities probably shield their children from the tabloids; in my household we know what they print isn’t true, so we don’t pay attention,” she explained. “There are more important things…”

10 She Does The Best She Can But Still Doubts She’s Doing Enough

Katie Holmes is very relatable as a mother, and like so many other parents she also questions whether she is doing a good job. It’s totally normal to wonder if we are doing enough, or if there was a decision that could have had a more favorable outcome or have been dealt with better. The truth is, there are times when that may be the case, but at the end of the day, all you have to do is try your best.

“Am I enough? Am I doing enough? Have I seen her enough? Guess what? You’re not enough, she hasn’t seen you enough, you’re [not the best]: That’s how it can feel sometimes…” she told People. “You do the best you can. Some days you feel really good about yourself and some days you don’t.”

9 She Listens To Her Child To Learn What She Needs From Her

The parent and child dynamic is an interesting one, and while children should listen to their parents' rules and requests because they are the people who are raising them, there also needs to be a balance. What we mean by this is that parents also need to listen to their children, to determine what they need.

Katie Holmes spoke about the importance of listening to her daughter, and in an interview with Today explained that she listens, daily. How does this suggest that Hollywood comes second, you ask? Well, it shows that Holmes' is putting her daughter's needs first, and she's finding out what those needs are by creating a dialogue.

8 If She Attends Events, She Leaves By 10 P.M. To Be Home For Her Daughter

For some celebrities, the glitzy events and glamorous parties are something they look forward to. An opportunity to network, but also to unwind and have fun with their friends and colleagues, but for Katie Holmes, events are a little different, and you won’t see her staying up until all hours.

The reason is that she feels it’s important to return home to her daughter, and so, she sets a curfew for herself. “When I go to an event, I leave at 10 p.m. because it’s really important to me to be a mom that is dependable,” she told Modern Luxury.

7 When She’s Not On Set Her Life Is All About Being A Mom

Some celebrities are willing to share many aspects of their lives with fans, take the Kardashian-Jenner clan as an example, who have used social media to their benefit and regularly share updates (and a few perfect selfies). It’s not that Katie Holmes doesn’t have social media, she does, but she is also very careful about what she shares.

So, what does her home life look like, you wonder? “When I’m not on set, I’m being a mom. I’m doing mom stuff,” she told Modern Luxury. And although she did elaborate on what this “mom stuff” was, we can all sort of imagine.

6 She Wants Suri To Have A Childhood That’s Normal And With A Focus On Family

How do you give a child a normal life, when as a celebrity, your life is anything but normal? This seems to be a struggle that many celebrity parents have, and although they want to raise their children to have all the “normal” experiences, like slumber parties, they also have to be aware that they do not live a “normal” life. That said, Katie Holmes is trying hard to ensure that she creates a world for her daughter that is as close to a typical childhood as possible.

She does this by focusing on family, and told Modern Luxury, “We do a lot of cousin time with my nieces and nephews. I think the most important thing in my life is giving my child the childhood I want her to have.”

5 She Has Revealed That When It’s Time To Work, And Where She Will Work, Is Determined By Suri

This list has already given multiple examples of how Katie Holmes has chosen to put her daughter first, and everything about Hollywood second, but perhaps it is this comment she made to Modern Luxury that really makes it clear that she will do whatever it takes to be a good mother to her daughter.

Speaking of how giving her daughter a great (and normal) childhood is of the utmost importance to her, she said, “That comes first. That dictates where I work and when I work because it’s my main job right now.” Her main job is being a mother, and she has raised her daughter as a solo mom since her divorce from Tom Cruise in 2012.

4 Directing Was Not As Hard As She Thought It Would Be, Because As A Parent She Was Used To Juggling Everything

You would think to direct in a movie, as well as acting in it, would be a complicated task. But many celebrities are up for the challenge, and Katie Holmes is among that group of stars who wanted to do it all. For her 2016 film, All We Had, Holmes made her directorial debut, and she was very proud of the end result, but if you were wondering how she managed to juggle everything, well, it turns out that being a mom prepared her for this.

“Some people say, ‘It must be so hard to act and direct at the same time.’ But it’s not as challenging as it looks, because you’re in charge of it,” Holmes told Women’s Health. “And when you’re a mom — we’re used to doing 25 things at once.”

3 Becoming A Mother Changed A Lot In Her Life, For The Better

Maybe you cannot stay out all night or sleep in until midday once you become a parent (but have you actually wanted to do that since college, anyway?) but with all the changes that come with parenting, there are also many positives. You experience a love you never thought was possible, you feel proud of yourself and your child, and you feel connected to other women and share a deeper respect for them.

This is something Holmes touched on in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar (via People) saying, “I felt so proud to be having a baby and so excited. And I felt closer to other women -- to my sisters, to my mom. I felt empowered, like, 'I've given birth. I did it! There's nothing I can't handle.’”

Her comments make it clear motherhood has taken over any other role she may have once cherished, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

2 Her Daughter Means Everything To Her, And She’s Not Afraid To Admit That

There is nothing wrong with being a professionally driven parent, but Katie Holmes is driven by something different, her daughter.

Although she does share much of her life with the media, Holmes is willing to talk on one topic, and that topic is motherhood. She is also not afraid to tell everyone just how much her life has changed since she welcomed a daughter into the world. She also can’t stop saying nice things about her child and it’s heartwarming. “She's my daughter, she's very, very special to me,” Holmes told Business Insider in a 2016 interview.

1 Being A Mother Is The Most Important Job In The World For Katie, And She Proves It All The Time

One of the best things about Holmes and how she is as a parent is that she understands how important the role of motherhood is, and for her, this is enough. When her daughter was just a few months old, Holmes made it clear in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar (via People) that from that moment on, things were going to be different and Hollywood was going to see less of her.

"My family is very important to me," she said. "When I go to work, it will be the right thing, worth my time and worth my time away from my family."

Sources: Entertainment Tonight Canada, New York Times, Town & Country, Daily Mail, Us Weekly, People, Today, Modern Luxury, Women's Health, People, Business Insider.