Brooke Shields on being a model mom and her new memoir

Supermodel, actress and mother of two Brooke Shields is opening up about her relationship with her own mother in a new memoir.

In “There Was a Little Girl: The Real Story of My Mother and Me,” Shields, 49, recounts her life with her mom and well-known manager, Teri Shields, who battled alcoholism and garnered criticism for the racy roles her daughter did as a child and teen, as well as shares details from her marriage to her ex-husband, tennis star Andrew Agassi (she even confesses that she still fits into her Calvin Kleins from the illustrious 1980s jeans campaign).

Shields clues us into motherhood in New York City and how she’s celebrated her ever-changing life.

Q: What advice can you give to mothers?

A: Talk to one another and be honest, and lean on each other; realize it is not a competition and you are not alone if you feel like you are failing.

Q: Are you a manager mom or a tiger mom?

A: Neither. I am trying to be a balanced mom.

Q: What’s the most difficult part of being a mother in New York City?

A: Finding time to do nothing.

Q: How do you maintain the balance between being a good wife and a good mother?

A: My husband helps me be a better mom and my children help me make my husband feel special.

Q: What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made?

A: Not having more confidence in my ability at a younger age.

Q: What’s your legacy?

A: My children, my longevity and living my life to the fullest as much as possible.

Q: You have a line for MAC Cosmetics. What inspired you to do that?

A: I love makeup. I have always loved makeup and now I am older so now I need it more than I ever did.

Q: What’s your next project?

A: I am developing a project for television.

Q: Who’s your fashion icon?

A: Carine Roitfeld.

Q: Who’s your favorite New Yorker?

A: The whole team at Jack’s [Stir Brew] Coffee in the West Village. They know how I like my coffee, my kids’ orders. I walk in and feel like I am home.