Duff and then-husband Mike Comrie welcomed a son, Luca Cruz Comrie, in March 2012. A 24-year-old Duff tweeted the great news: "Wow I can't believe I have a baby!" But the glow of new motherhood faded a bit when Duff realized the effect that being a young mom can have one's Hollywood career.
"I feel like I was judged for having a baby too soon, and getting married too soon," she told The Talk (via Us Weekly,) "and now I'm pigeonholed for being a 'mom.'"
Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, Duff said, "Becoming a mother—that whole process is so special and so magical really, but it's also very isolating, and I think a lot of the time, you feel like you should have all the answers…you put so much pressure on yourself, and it's really kind of a lonely place to be, so I think women and families need to boost each other up instead of, you know, bully one another."
In order to manage her stardom and motherhood, Duff now says she has no problem taking breaks from Tinseltown. Speaking with Redbook in 2017, she said, "I'm not working right now, and at first I stressed about that, like, 'Oh, I shouldn't stay still this long.' And that's ridiculous. I have a child; it's totally fine to not be slammed all the time. It feels really good to not be on someone else's schedule—besides Luca's. I'm basically his chauffeur!"