A naturally dazzling star, it doesn’t take much to make Nia Long glare. But one thing that does this automatically for him is being in the presence of his sons. ESSENCE had the opportunity to see the actress in her favorite role, mother, on several different occasions, including in 2022 when she was celebrated at our annual celebration. Black Women in Hollywood event for his work in the industry over the years. There were also times when we took pictures of him and his sons. Massaiand then newborn TimesFor our August 2012 issue.

“Motherhood is not easy, but it is natural,” she told us in this issue, which she discussed with her sons. “I worked hard to have the career I wanted, but I was also conscious about my personal life. None of these are mistakes.”

Over the years he brought up this topic How did parenthood change him?including his perspective in the simplest yet most profound way. “Baby Kez Sunday gave me a little bit of a rebirth, and it’s really nice because I can look at life through her eyes,” she said in 2013. The dog is barking across the street. These are the things that make the world go round today. When you look at life in its simplest form, you see that stress and anxiety are not the cornerstones of your life. It is refreshing to experience life through this lens.”

Even before her sons were born, she was preparing for life with them. He talked about how to set them up for financial success: establish a university fund this resulted in him securing the future he wanted for his eldest son, Massai.

“One thing is that before I became a mother, I started saving money for my children. I received $3000 and deposited it into this account. And I said, ‘I’ll never touch that.’ “And that allowed me to get my son through NYU without any student loans,” he said proudly.

He added at the time: “So in four years, anyone here looking for a young lawyer (or) a lawyer will be a good lawyer.” “He needs a job to pay me back. If he’s anything like me, he’s got the spirit of abundance… a little too much because I still have it in my pocket. I just called him on the way here. I have a bill for his electric bill. ‘Massai, really?’ “And look, that’s the thing, you can’t spoil them too much because the hustle is one of the things that makes me do what I do. You have to draw a line where you don’t mess with the hustle because there’s a little gangster in that hustle that makes us make a difference.”

Overall, Long said becoming a parent has taught her a lot about herself, and she’s grateful for that.

“I’ve got my old school ways and I’ve got my new school ways and I’m still trying to figure it out,” he said in 2023. Cut. “As a mother, I made many mistakes. I learned about myself through my parenting. Do I have any regrets? Certainly. But these are not regrets that are life-changing or devastating.”

Scroll down to see sweet images of the beauty and her sons over the years, ranging from Massai to Kez.