In a recent podcast interview, pop singer Pink said that when she was first ascending to stardom some 20 years ago, she was constantly warned against having children. “Everyone told me, ‘if you have children right now, your career’s over,’” she said. 

Pink did not listen, and she and her husband now have a daughter and a son. Becoming a mom definitely changed things, she said, but for the better: “When I had a child … I think that’s when my career began … It’s when I started to really understand myself and understand the world and my place in it.” 

Pop-punk music stars are known for flaunting social conventions. In today’s climate, that is what Pink is now doing. While other famous people in the music and movie industries talk about parenthood as a career-killing disease or a status reached by paying other people—like surrogates doing the work for you—Pink is living the opposite. Hers, like all children, are a gift worth more than any career, even international stardom.