Mindy Kaling Gets Real About Her Kids’ Privacy: "I Err On The Side Of Super Cautious"

Mindy Kaling may have chosen to be in the spotlight as an actor, writer, and producer, but that doesn't mean her kids are automatically fair game. Mindy is a mama to two young kids and in a recent interview, she opened up about her life as a solo mom and why she's fiercely protective of her kids' privacy.

Mindy appeared on the cover of The Wellness Issue of Marie Claire, where she talked about her "guiding principles," which frame the decisions she makes as a parent in the public eye. Mindy is a mama to two kids, 4-year-old Katherine "Kit" Swati and soon-to-be-2-year-old Spencer Avu. Their privacy is paramount to her.

Two things she’s majorly private about are how she conceived her kids — and posting them on social media. And, in fact, before she ever does tell those stories or reveals their faces, she’s waiting until they are old enough to tell her how they would feel about it. Per Marie Claire, she even said she’d write a book with her daughter about how their family was formed. But not until they’re ready. She won’t post pictures of her kids on social media and she won’t discuss their conception stories.

"I want them to be old enough to talk to me about it and [tell me] how they want me to talk about it," she tells Marie Claire.

"I'm the only parent my kids have…I think I err on the side of super cautious so that there [are fewer] things that they can potentially be mad at me about down the line."

Mindy previously discussed her conscious decision to hold her kids' privacy, and not post any identifiable photos of them, high on her priority list. She admitted that she wants to make sure her kids have some control over how they're portrayed on social media because the spotlight will be bright because of her line of work.

She "isn't trying to be secretive or press-shy," Marie Claire writes. "She simply wants to safeguard their privacy, give her kids a chance to learn and tell their own stories in their own time."

The second central guiding principle — their conception — is also tied to her kids' privacy. Mindy chose to be a single parent, and she's never revealed the biological father — or fathers — to her kids, because it's no one's business except Kit and Spencer's.

"I waited until I had the means, and that made all the difference," she said. "The choice to have a child — by yourself, on your own terms — it was the best part of my life ... It's the thing that I hope women feel confident doing by themselves."

When it comes to parenting, there is no "one-size-fits-all," and there's no rulebook we can follow that will guide us to all the correct answers. But Mindy's decision to allow her kids as much privacy as possible sounds like a really good place to start.