Evan Rachel Wood says motherhood is a lot "harder" than she thought it would be.
The 30-year-old actress admits it is tough being a mother to her three-year-old son but insists it is the "best thing" she has ever done.
She said: "Becoming a mom is the best thing I ever did with my life, but it’s not for everyone.
"It’s harder than you think and you are never ready, but it will open up your heart in ways you never thought possible."
And the ‘Westworld’ star – who has her son with her ex-husband Jamie Bell – also admits it was difficult to "learn and accept" that love wasn’t enough in their case.
She added: "The hardest thing I had to learn and accept was that sometimes, despite what we have been told, love is not enough. But when I look at my life now and imagine how things would have been different had I stayed married, I can’t say I would have the heart to change anything. I rest easy knowing that I had love, real love, for a short while."
And Evan has urged all 20-somethings to just follow their "intuition".
She told Nylon magazine: "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind. Don’t play games. Don’t make people guess. Don’t expect them to know what you need, we can’t read minds … yet.
"Trust your intuition. After asking yourself the important questions, know when the problem isn’t about you. Learn the red flags for toxic people. Sometimes you learn by falling into the trap. If you are feeling drained of your life force, that’s a red flag.
"If you don’t know who you are anymore, that’s a red flag. If you constantly walk on eggshells and make yourself smaller to please someone else, that’s a red flag. If your self-worth is placed on another person’s opinion of you, that’s a red flag."
Evan Rachel Wood: Motherhood’s harder than I thought
