Felicity Huffman Breaks Down Perfect Image of Motherhood  2/24/05

Desperate Housewives star Felicity Huffman is urging women to stop portraying motherhood as a perfect experience. The 42-year-old, who has two young children with husband William H. Macy, plays the stressed mother of three troublesome children in the hit show - and she believes it's one of the most honest portrayals of motherhood currently on TV. 

She says, "I'm pushed to my limits many times during the day. I find that motherhood is not the panacea of wonderfulness that it's been lauded to be. "It's gratifying that part of my experience of motherhood is out there in the world. It's been portrayed before as, 'Oh, honey, I can't believe you spilled milk,' as opposed to, 'I'm losing my mind!' "(Being a mother) is incredibly difficult.

You lose yourself. It's boring a lot of the time. You feel bad. You're guilty... The bill of goods they sell you is that it's the most wonderful thing you ever do in your life. It's true, but that's just the icing on the cake."