Millie Bobby Brown opens up about parenthood: 'We take it one day at a time'

Millie Bobby Brown, the acclaimed star of Stranger Things, has opened up about the profound "real responsibility" of raising her daughter, expressing her desire to "set a standard" for the child’s understanding of the world.

The 22-year-old actress, globally recognised for her role as the psychokinetic teenager Eleven in the hit Netflix sci-fi series, became a mother after she and her husband, Jake Bongiovi, adopted a baby in August 2025. Brown, who married the son of American rock star Jon Bon Jovi in May 2024, shared her insights as part of Unicef’s My Parenting Journey campaign.

As a Unicef goodwill ambassador since 2018, she reflected on the "overwhelming love" she feels and the realities of parenthood.

When asked about the most challenging aspect of being a parent, Brown stated: "Balancing work and being there for her – there’s a balance, but naturally it’s just that kind of friction of ‘I really want to be there’, but also I know it’s really important to show her what it means to work hard."

She elaborated on her aspirations for her daughter: "Raising a daughter is a real responsibility. I just try to learn as much as I can and feed it into her life, so that she knows nothing other than girls supporting girls, women succeeding, women achieving their dreams and living in a world and building a world for her – that isn’t unrealistic but it sets a standard for her to know that she shouldn’t settle for anything less."

Brown confessed that no one could have prepared her for "the love" that accompanies motherhood. "People say they love their children. I don’t understand how that much happens in my heart.

The feeling is so overwhelming, it’s just incomprehensible." For guidance, she often consults her mother or mother-in-law, feeling "so honoured to have support" from them.

Her advice for other new parents is to approach each day as it comes. She and her husband often remind themselves: "Today was today, and tomorrow is going to be tomorrow. You just take it day by day."

Brown was just 12 when she began filming Stranger Things, which first aired in 2016 and is set to conclude on New Year’s Day. The actress will next be seen reprising her role as the mystery-solving sleuth sister to Sherlock Holmes in Netflix’s Enola Holmes 3, due for release in July.

Her recent credits include the 2024 fantasy film Damsel and the upcoming 2025 sci-fi action film The Electric State alongside Chris Pratt, as well as the romantic comedy Just Picture It.