Charlize Theron Gets Candid About Motherhood and Finding Joy in Her ‘Two Nuggets’ When It ‘Gets Hard’ (Exclusive)

Charlize Theron sees the world differently through the eyes of her children.

The Oscar-winning actress opened up about how her children inspire her to learn about new subjects, such as ancient Egypt, at Town & Country’s 10th annual Philanthropy Summit last Thursday, where she was honored alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger.

“Mom, they found out!” Theron tells PEOPLE about her kids’ reactions as they read National Geographic. “Now we know the history of the Sphinx. I never thought I’d want to know what was going on with the Sphinx, and now I do.”

Charlize Theron/ Instagram

Theron – who is mother to daughters Jackson, 11, and August, 7 – is certainly no stranger to interacting with youngsters. Since the 48-year-old actress launched the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project in 2007 to support African youth in the fight against HIV and AIDS, the philanthropist has always looked at the world through a double lens.

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However, the version is “different” when it comes to her own children, which allowed her to spend time with them every day Mad Max: Fury Road star observe the way they understand on a nuanced level.

“At that point, you’re like, ‘Oh, that’s funny,'” says Theron. “When you think about it, there’s actually a real power in the innocence of what that is for them, and we lose that as we get older, so it’s great to have these two nuggets.”

Charlize Theron/ Instagram

Her parenting journey began in 2012 when she adopted Jackson into her new family, and grew three years later when she welcomed August. The South African later revealed to PEOPLE in 2018 that she always knew adoption would be her path to motherhood because of her upbringing and early exposure to orphanages and children in need.

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Much of her upbringing also contributed to her philanthropic efforts to address her homeland’s issues, such as gender-based violence, unemployment and murder.

Ensuring her children are informed and aware is important to Hancock actress, but also maintaining a balance in their presentation. Despite keeping them off social media, she knows some topics might fall flat.

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“I’ve always wanted to have an open conversation with my kids, and I want them to feel like they can come and talk to me about anything,” the Golden Globe winner says of her mindset. “When they bring up something that’s inappropriate, I always think, ‘Don’t be harsh. Just be cool because they’re bringing this to you. They feel safe enough to bring this to you,’ and I want to keep it that way.”

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The United Nations Messenger of Peace, who grew up in apartheid South Africa until the age of 17, was “raised by a real gamer mom” in a “small town”. Through all the ups and downs of parenthood, Theron said she has come to appreciate her mother even more.

»When you’re actually inside [parenthood] you experience it too, the evidence is there,” says Theron. “You understand how you could have been so much better as a child.”

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While on stage in the panel, the Long shot the star also recalled how her mother protected the then 15-year-old when her father, whom she only knew “as an alcoholic”, shot both her and her mother with a gun.

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“My mom did what I think any mother would do in a situation where you have to choose between you and your child or someone else,” Theron said on stage. “I think a mother would do anything and put herself in real danger to protect me.”

“I’m here today because of her, in so many ways,” she added.

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These days, the producer still communicates daily with her mom in her mother tongue, Afrikaans. She slowly noticed how her children were listening to her.

“My kids are like, ‘I don’t know what you said, but I think I know what you said,'” Theron recalled with a laugh. “They’re taking it slow.”

Despite the busyness of the proud mom, her daughters are always “at the top” of her list.

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“Everything about them comes first — what they need, who they are,” Theron said. “Beyond [work], I’m an Uber driver. I drive all my kids all day, all night, to all their activities. At that point I think, ‘I hope you remember this.’ They’re like, ‘Remember what?’ I said, ‘Exactly.’ ”

“[Being] the parent is generally good, tough,” she continued. “When you’re in it, you think, ‘I’ll never survive this.’ And then you come to the other side, you’re like, ‘Oh my God, this is amazing. I can’t believe I did that.'”

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Whenever she faces the challenges of parenting and her philanthropic work, she reminds herself of the “struggle and resilience” she sees in young people in South Africa, which comes from “understanding the darkness.”

Emma McIntyre/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty

“When it gets tough, you just have to remember that you can survive this because some of these young people have been through so much,” Theron tells PEOPLE. “That’s what drives me when it gets really dark and I just think, ‘Why are we doing this? Does this really matter?’”

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The actress also shared how working with young people has changed her view of joy and hope in a way she doesn’t see elsewhere.

“Just think, if I can have that fire in my belly living in these circumstances, then hell, we should have a tenth of that,” Theron said on stage. “It makes you realize that it takes very little to be happy and enjoy this precious life we ​​have.”

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Source: HIS Education