Hilary Duff is coming clean about the realities of single parenthood.
E! News has the exclusive first look at the Younger star's Redbook magazine cover, where she opens up about co-parenting son Luca with ex-husband Mike Comrie. Hilary and the retired hockey pro separated two years after their only child was born in 2012, and though outwardly Duff and Comrie make divorce look nothing but amicable, she's the first to admit it's not always easy.
Duff told the publication, "Some of my friends tell me, 'God, it must be so nice, you get a break from your kid because you share him.' I'm divorced, and it sucks. Well, it did suck for a while; now it's just normal."
"But it's true, I do get a break," she mused. "I had Luca by myself for a few weeks, no help, when Mike was on the road, and when he got home I was like, 'He's yours! Bye!'"
And like many of Hilary's fellow celeb mommies, she too struggles with the push and pull of devoting her attention to both work and family life.
"I always feel torn or guilty about something," she admitted. "I'm not working right now, and at first I stressed about that, like, 'Oh, I shouldn't stay still this long.' And that's ridiculous. I have a child; it's totally fine to not be slammed all the time."
The 29-year-old added, "It feels really good to not be on someone else's schedule—besides Luca's. I'm basically his chauffeur!"
And speaking of her adorable little man, Duff told Redbook she's not in any rush to welcome baby No. 2: "I've gotten over the fact that I'm not going to have a baby that's close in age with Luca. It sucked when everyone would be like, 'When are you having another?' I'd be like, 'Do you know what's happening right now? I'm not having another.'"
Addressing the pressure of life after baby and divorce, Hilary continued, "You get engaged: 'When's the wedding?' You get married: 'When's the baby?' You have a baby: 'When's the next one?' I'm cherishing the now."
"Besides, watch," she teased, "I'll probably get some evil spawn of Hilary the next time around."
She's certainly dipped her toes back into the dating pool though, first romancing fitness guru Jason Walsh then moving on to current boyfriend, singer-songwriter Matthew Koma, but don't consider Hilary a serial monogamist.
"I never think being single sucks until I go out in L.A. with my girlfriends and the options are terrible," she shared. "I really attract the old men!"