Kate Hudson is looking back on the moment she first became a mom, and the "wild" realization that her firstborn Ryder is only a few years away from the age she herself was when he was born.
Ryder, who is currently a student at New York University, celebrated his 20th birthday earlier this year; his mom was 23 years old when she welcomed him with then-husband Chris Robinson, to whom she was married from 2000 to 2007.
The How To Lose a Guy in Ten Days actress, 44, has since welcomed son Bingham "Bing" Bellamy, 12, who she shares with Matt Bellamy, and daughter Rani Rose, five, who she shares with fiancé Danny Fujikawa.
Recently speaking with People, Kate noted her disbelief at how Ryder is no longer a teenager, and how she "just can't believe that I was only a couple years older than him when I decided to have a child," describing it as a "wild discovery."
"The fact that we've been able to get through it together like this, and really, honestly, grow up together, has been incredible," she said.
Looking back on her first years of motherhood and how time has flown by since, she added: "I guess while raising him, [I was] just in it and present, and then they fly the nest, and they're sort of cooked – and they're adults!" adding: "You look back going, 'Wow, I can't believe [it].'"
© InstagramFurther gushing about the "wonderful" young adult Ryder has grown up to be and how much he's enjoying his life, though she noted she wishes he "lived a little closer," she nonetheless maintained: "I just love seeing him explore his adulthood. He's an adult, you know? He's out in the world and doing his thing," emphasizing: "We're very close and I'm very proud."
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Kate's fans were left in a similar state of disbelief last month, when she took to Instagram to mark his 20th birthday on January 7th.
Sharing a photo of his birthday cake – which had a throwback photo printed in the center of him as a kid holding a camera, plus plenty of glossy frosting, black sprinkles, and gold candles spelling out 20 – Kate confessed: "I'm gonna have to let this one digest for a bit."
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She added: "My beautiful boy, happy 20th. I love you beyond," and the comments section under the post was promptly flooded with celebratory comments for Ryder from celebrities and fans alike, who also marveled at how grown up he is already.
© GettyKate also opened up about Ryder's move across the country last year in a conversation with Today Show anchor Willie Geist, during which she also admitted it's "so hard" to have him live so far away, adding: "All you want is your kid to thrive and be happy. But, man, when I'm in L.A., and I go to the coffee machine in the morning, and I don't hear his voice, it's a big one."
Moreover, she has been equally candid about not only motherhood but also co-parenting with her two exes. In a 2022 interview with the Sunday Times, she explained: "For me it's like, you loved this person. That doesn't just go away, but you can re-establish a different kind of love," and maintained: "You can have an amazing time with an ex-partner because you're really only focused on the love of your child."
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