Why Drew Barrymore Puts Kids Ahead of Everything

There's something so admirable about Drew Barrymore, which probably comes down to with her raw honesty. For someone who had the most messed up childhood - even by Hollywood standards (which is saying something) - Barrymore isn't the type to wallow in self-pity or shame.

And now that she's a mom in her own right, she has every intention of being truthful about her early life with her daughters, Olive, 3, and Frankie, 18 months.

"I'm just trying to figure this all out," admits the actress in an interview with People Magazine.

These days, Barrymore puts her children ahead of everything else in her life, including her career and marriage to art consultant Will Kopelman.

"I know everyone says you're supposed to put your coupledom first," she says. "But I really love it being all about the kids. Maybe that's my compensating for not having parents myself or a childhood but right now, the focus is about how we're figuring things out as parents."

To say that Barrymore didn't have a normal childhood is an understatement if ever there was one. The E.T. star was partying and clubbing at age seven, institutionalized at 12 and living on her own from 15.

"I'm certainly not known for being boring," she says. "But I also think things that are emotional and raw are also a lot lighter than they seemed. Someone once said to me, 'But your life… it's so sad.' And I was like, 'Well, no, it's not to me, but I could see how you would think that.' My life is amazing."

Not long ago, Barrymore made tongues wag when she said women can't have it all. These days, she has reframed that statement to read: ''You can't do it all.'

"... you just can't. It's not physically possible. I'll do my best. I'm a workhorse, I always have been, I always will be. But work is very much second to my kids."

While I personally disagree about putting your kids first all the time, I think there is a time and a place. When children are very young - as Barrymore's kids are - putting them first is kind of a necessity. But life ebbs and flows and as moms we have to constantly switch up our priorities, giving our focus to different aspects of our lives as circumstance demands.

As a woman it's a risky strategy to (forgiving the lame analogy) keep all your eggs in a single basket all the time.

Barrymore's book, "Wildflower," is a collection of personal essays about her life. Here's one celebrity memoir I actually want to read.