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'Sex And The City' Actress Kim Cattrall Sparks Controversy With Comments On Parenting

NEW YORK(CBSNewYork) -- What makes someone a mother? It's a question that people are buzzing about after recent comments from actress Kim Cattrall.

Cattrall declared herself a parent even though she's never raised a child.

The actress is best known for her role as Samantha Jones on Sex And The City, but the Golden Globe winner sparked controversy with her statements on motherhood during an interview with BBC Radio.

"I'm a parent, I have young actors and actresses that I mentor. I have nieces and nephews that I am very close to. There is a way to become a mother in this day and age that doesn't include your name on the child's birth certificate. You can express that maternal side very clearly, very strongly," she said.

People fired off both supportive and angry comments online. The sentiment on the streets was similarly divided.

"If she feels like a mom and she feels like she's connecting to the kids then that's fine," Jocelyn Liao said.

"You can't tell anyone else how to feel or anything like that, just speak for yourself," another New Yorker said.

"I know I never knew what it was to be a parent until I actually had a child. I've disciplined many people as far as kids younger than me, but that doesn't mean I was their actual parent," one father said.

"I don't think that she would be a 'mom' necessarily," Pamela Jablons said.

Psychologist Jeff Gardere called the controversy a teachable moment.

"There's plenty of room for being a parent to a child that you take care of every day, as well as someone who considers themselves to be a parent because they are a guiding influence in someone else's life," Gardere told CBS2's Elise Finch.

While many people agree with Cattral's statements, other people said if you aren't parenting full-time, you shouldn't call yourself a mom or dad.

"When you are the primary care taker of that child and that child is your responsibility it feels like your heart is walking around outside your body, that emotional connection, that worry, that instinct, the constantly thinking about the child. It's a different level of intensity that bond," Jennifer Koen said.

"It's like people who have dogs and say, 'I have a child because I have a dog,' they feel like being able to nurture something or someone is the same as being a mom, but I feel like it has to be full time from the beginning to the end to really know what it's like to be a mom," Ivelisse Gotay said.

"If a person feels like they want to call themselves a parent I'm okay with that, I don't care personally though, I don't agree," Edwin Gotay added.

There's been no official statement from the actress but she is responding to people's comments on Twitter.

 

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