Mindy Kaling is grateful that she had her daughter later in career because she’s in a position where she can ensure Katherine is cared for nearby.
The Mindy Project star welcomed her first child Katherine in December (17) and has gone on to have a busy 2018, with the release of films A Wrinkle in Time and Ocean’s 8, the creation of TV series Champions, which she has a recurring role in, and the production of comedy movie Late Night, which she wrote and produced, alongside Emma Thompson.
In a new interview with People.com, Mindy admitted that she feels very lucky that she doesn’t have to leave her daughter at home when she heads to work, because she is in charge of her new projects and has the power to make sure Katherine is looked after nearby.
“I’m really lucky because I get to create my own job opportunities. Because I do that, I can fit my daughter into my job. It’s a luxury most American women don’t have,” she said.
“It’s one of the nice things of having had my baby a little bit later in my career. I can be like, ‘Hey, I want a little area that I can have my daughter play because I want to check up on her at work.’ That is probably the biggest perk of my life: to involve my daughter so much in my career.”
In between working on Late Night, which is due for release in 2019, and producing a TV remake of ’90s British comedy Four Weddings and a Funeral, the 39-year-old has been spending time teaching Katherine how to swim.
“It’s great when you teach a nine-month-old how to swim because the bar is really low, which is great because I’m not a really strong swimmer but it’s making me feel athletic,” the star joked. “Every weekend now I try to swim with her, like 45 minutes in the pool. It’s one of the nice things living in Los Angeles. I can pretty much do that all year round and slowly teach her how to swim.”
She also shared that Katherine is beginning to say the word “Mama”.
