Charlize Theron says her children can be "assholes"

She told US Elle magazine: "A child in my twenties was the scariest idea I could think of. When I got to my thirties, I was so ready. But there's a moment where you're like, Oh God, I hope once I have my kids, I'm still going to want to be a parent this much. I have bad days. I make mistakes. Going through the tantrum stages when they're such little assholes. And they choose the worst moments. It's a lot for one person. But after six years of having my two nuggets, there's not a day when I wish I hadn't done this."

However, Charlize revealed that the adoption process was one of the hardest things she ever went through.

She said: "I struggled mentally through the adoption process. Some of the lowest points in my life were dealing with the first time I filed; it really took an emotional toll. There were many situations that didn't work out, and you'd get attached and have all your hopes up and then just get crushed. So I was in a different mind space. I had different needs."

While the adoption process was tough, Charlize admitted she has found criticism from "judgy moms" a challenge but says she tries to ignore it.

She said: "I've had a lot of moms come up to me and tell me I'm screwing everything up. Both my kids grew up on formula, and I remember a mom saying to me, 'You should really buy breast milk.' And I was like, What?! That's a line you just don't cross.

"My oldest just started big school. She's not even there a full year. So I've not gotten into the whole [judgy moms at] school thing yet. The good thing about me is, I've never given a sh*t about what people think. That's the only quality I have that has probably helped me in being a mother."

And although the star is not in a relationship, she relies heavily on her mother Gerda for help in raising her children.

She explained: "I knew that I would have to have my mom help me if I was going to do this as a single parent. To not acknowledge her in coparenting my children would be a lie. She has jokingly said, 'Being a grandparent is what I was born to do.' I was like, 'Yo, bitch! What about me? Was it not to raise me? I'm your kid!' But I'm so lucky to have that. I would feel pretty alone if I didn't have a partner in crime in all of this."