As she approaches her 30th birthday, Ireland Baldwin is reflecting on the “lonely childhood” that has shaped her into the woman she is today.
On Monday, the daughter of Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger — who penned a Substack blog titled, “30, Flirty, and Surviving” — opened up about painful moments in her past and explained how she’s managed to inch away from “narcissistic” family members.
In the post, Ireland described her upbringing as a “lonely childhood,” noting that she “grew up without two parents in my home and no siblings to turn to,” per Us Weekly.
“I move into 30 with a lot less weight on my shoulders,” she wrote. “This weight that was brought on by the need to continue to carry my narcissistic, unreliable, addict family members who I thought I needed in my life.”
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“I had a lonely childhood at times, which is why I grew up feeling like I needed to win over certain people in my own family,” she added. “For whatever reason, their validation and praise was meaningful to me. Nothing was more freeing than finally realizing how poisonous these people are. So, I inch into my thirties with an understanding that this is how you break these cycles. My daughter doesn’t have to know these people, and I can protect her from them. I can do my very best to construct my own idea of a family, piece by piece. And show how a real family treats one another.”
Alec and Basinger married in 1993. The couple separated five years after welcoming Ireland in 1995. They finalized their divorce in 2002.
Ireland, who is mom to 2-year-old daughter Holland, said the past decade has brought many joys, but also unimaginable pain.
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“10 years of pain. 10 years of not knowing what the hell I am doing or talking about, but still running my mouth anyway,” she wrote, before listing the lessons she’s learned through the years.
“Don’t be ashamed of who you really are. I wasted so much time pretending to be someone else for a partner, to get a job, to get s—– people to like me, etc. I would give anything to get that time back,” she wrote.
“You can’t change or fix anyone. Period. They have to want to change. And chances are they won’t. So quit while you’re ahead,” she added.
“Tell your mom you love her every single day. Text her when you get to where you’re going. You will soon understand her in ways you never had,” she continued.
IRELAND BALDWIN CALLS HILARIA ‘BAT S— CRAZY’ BUT CREDITS HER WITH SAVING DAD ALEC’S LIFE
Ireland also reflected on her own body image struggles.
“You are not fat. You are not fat. You are not fat. You are not fat. You are not fat. You are not fat. You are not fat. You are not fat. You are not fat. You are not fat,” she wrote.
Concluding her post, Ireland said she’s hopeful to find her “village” in the next decade.
“I can’t speak for the vastly, ever-changing world around me. I can only selfishly focus on my own road,” she wrote. “I hope to find my people. My village.”
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Last month, Ireland opened up about her relationship with stepmom, Hilaria Baldwin.
While Ireland admitted Hilaria can be “bats— crazy,” she credited her stepmom for saving Alec’s life.
“She turned his health around and has shown him the forgiveness and kindness that he needed,” she wrote in a lengthy Instagram post. “She also recognizes and nourishes the parts of my father that are the most compassionate and wonderful. She’s taught him that he doesn’t need to suffer inside of his own head and stay stuck in his own past. That it’s never too late to admit you need help and it’s never too late to learn to be kind to yourself.
“Hilaria is the reason I am able to have the close relationship with my father that I do. She is the reason I get to have siblings/a big family that I’ve always wanted. She has always respected me, accepted my flaws, embraced me, and has always shown me kindness. I met her as a teenager and I needed her as an example. I still very much look up to her now.”
