The third season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta premieres on Monday on Bravo. SheKnows caught up with newcomer Phaedra Parks and Real Housewives veteran Kim Zolciak to dish about motherhood. What’d they have to say?
The ladies of the ATL will be returning to Bravo on Monday, October 4, for the third season of Bravo’s Real Housewives of Atlanta. Before this season heats up onscreen, we spoke with two of this season’s stars about motherhood and what’s to come.
This season’s cast
There have been a few cast changes on Real Housewives of Atlanta this season. Here’s who we’ll be watching:
- Newcomer Phaedra Parks is an entertainment attorney and a self-proclaimed Southern Belle. She was pregnant during filming, so we’ll see her baby shower and even get a look into the delivery room.
- Newcomer Cynthia Bailey is a model and single mom with a long term boyfriend who wants to get married. Will she get over her marriage hangups and take the plunge?
- Returning castmember Kandi Burruss is finally dating again, after her fiance was killed last fall. She’s also signed with a new music label and back in touch with her estranged father, who has cancer.
- Returning castmember Kim Zolciak is a single mother of two who has her own custom-order wig line. She’s continuing her singing this season and is moving on from Big Poppa to a new man.
- Returning castmember NeNe Leakes has signed on to be an entertainment reporter with a local television station. Meanwhile, her home life is more chaotic with her husband not working.
- Returning castmember Sheree Whitfield has found a new passion in acting and is pursuing it this season with an acting coach. We’ll also see her dating a new man — a doctor.
Phaedra on becoming a mom
One of the big events of this season on Real Housewives of Atlanta is Phaedra’s baby shower. Photos have been circulating for months, showing a pregnant Phaedra in a beautiful blue maternity dress with white flowers in her hair. We’ll see the planning process, which Phaedra admits wasn’t without stress. “It turned out absolutely beautiful. But I think whenever you are planning an event that is important for you it’s stressful,” she says.
She has since had her baby — with the cameras rolling in the delivery room, which she says was the worst part of the season.
As for motherhood, that’s an experience that she says is wonderful. “It has been really awesome. I never knew I would be this excited and have this much joy waking up in the middle of the night with my baby,” says Phaedra.
Her biggest challenge as a mom? “Time management. I think anytime a woman becomes a mom, it’s a challenge to pull away. … I am constantly thinking about my baby and being an attorney, my job is extremely busy,” she says.
So, what did she think of being on camera? “It was nice to be able to share some really intimate moments,” says Phaedra … and with the cameras there at birth, we’d have to agree with the intimacy of it.
Kim on parenting
Kim’s has undergone some changes this season, thanks to the new — and younger! — man in her life. “I’ve never ever dated someone younger than me … but we just have this great connection. … He’s really great with my girls,” she says.
Unlike moms on other Real Housewives series, Kim has no intention of using the platform to push her kids’ into acting, modeling or the like. “I’m not here to advertise my children. At the end of the day, they’re my kids and this is my real life,” says Kim.
Instead, she’s just mothering them as she usually does. “I love my relationship with my kids. I am very honest with my girls. … I think communication is key. Communication and listening, if you don’t have those, then that’s it,” says Kim.
More Stories from Parenting
Leave a Comment