Katherine Heigl's daughter rejected her obnoxious mothering skills

**Laurent** · April 9th, 2012, 12:45 PM

Katherine Heigl Says Daughter's 'Rejection Almost Broke My Heart'

By Karen Nickel Anhalt

Monday April 09, 2012 10:55 AM EDT

Katherine Heigl, Josh Kelley and daughter Naleigh
Cheyenne Ellis/AP

When Katherine Heigl and husband Josh Kelley adopted 10-month-old Naleigh from Korea in 2009, the new mom expected the mother-daughter bond to be strong and immediate.

Not so, the actress admits in an interview with German weekly newspaper, Bild am Sonntag. "People are always talking about the strong bond between mother and daughter, this magical connection – but we didn't have that," Heigl says.

She described the early days with Naleigh as "the hardest time in my life. ... I fought incredibly hard for my daughter to accept me as mother. Her rejection almost broke my heart."

Heigl found the rejection so oppressive that she threw herself into her work which, she admits, "made the already difficult process of getting closer take even longer. ... When I realized that, I immediately cut back on work."

That's when she left Grey's Anatomy.

The child did bond with Kelley, which made Heigl wonder if she might be the problem. "At first I blamed myself and thought I was a bad mother. It took a while before I could admit to myself that the lack of trust had nothing to do with me," she says.

Now Heigl and her daughter have a tight bond. So tight that Heigl is unafraid to travel to South Korea with her now 4-year-old daughter. "I'd like to fly to South Korea with the family," she says, "to show her the country that she comes from."

Katherine Heigl: Daughter Naleigh's 'Rejection' Made Me Feel Like a 'Bad Mother' : People.com

Everything she says has that ring of obnoxious cow.

**SHELLEE** · April 9th, 2012, 12:52 PM

Geez, even as a baby she knew her mother was an obnoxious twit.

**fgg** · April 9th, 2012, 12:57 PM

So tight that Heigl is unafraid to travel to South Korea with her now 4-year-old daughter. "I'd like to fly to South Korea with the family," she says, "to show her the country that she comes from."

because before she thought her daughter would run away from her once she saw the motherland?

**LynnieD** · April 9th, 2012, 12:57 PM

I remember her saying the exact opposite when she first adopted this kid, but I know it must be a very hard transition...

However, I have to point out that this happens with bio kids too. Not all kids have an instant connection w/their Moms or Dads. It's all a learning experience imho.

**fgg** · April 9th, 2012, 12:58 PM

^boo! don't defend her. let's make it seem like she's the worst mother ever!

**caramel** · April 9th, 2012, 12:59 PM

i get where she is coming from but she seems like a retard if she didnt get that a kid cannot identify her as a mom magically.

**Novice** · April 9th, 2012, 01:02 PM

Originally Posted by LynnieD

I remember her saying the exact opposite when she first adopted this kid, but I know it must be a very hard transition...

However, I have to point out that this happens with bio kids too. Not all kids have an instant connection w/their Moms or Dads. It's all a learning experience imho.

She's lucky that she didn't adopt an older child, it can be even worse.

**LynnieD** · April 9th, 2012, 01:04 PM

Originally Posted by fgg

^boo! don't defend her. let's make it seem like she's the worst mother ever!

Oh trust me, I cannot stand her. I love how she completely contradicts her earlier statements when she first adopted the kid--if I remember correctly, she felt she had to 'defend' going back to work so quickly and said 'oh everything is so wonderful, blah blah blah'. Who knows what the actual truth is...

She seems like such a cold bitch.....

**Laurent** · April 9th, 2012, 01:05 PM

I also think she left Grey's not because it interfered with her parenting, but because she thought she had a big wonderful film career ahead of her that never materialized. I think she's taking the opportunity to re-write history a bit here.

**greysfang** · April 9th, 2012, 01:34 PM

Oh bullshit. This is just a minivan majority accepted excuse for leaving GA, this reason was chosen by a committee of PR experts.

**Mel1973** · April 9th, 2012, 01:46 PM

"At first I blamed myself and thought I was a bad mother. It took a while before I could admit to myself that the lack of trust had nothing to do with me,"

of course not...

**Yellowjacket** · April 9th, 2012, 05:28 PM

Didn't she leave GA before she adopted?

**Grimmlok** · April 9th, 2012, 10:15 PM

The lack of trust had nothing to do with me.. i didn't like that show, the scripts weren't good enough.. i didn't like being in that movie that made me really famous, the role sucked..

NOT YOU AT ALL, stupid bitch.