‘They appreciate seeing me out doing what I love to do’

Welcome to So Mini Ways, Yahoo Life’s parenting series on the joys and challenges of childrearing.

When it comes to back-to-school season, Gossip Girl alum and mom of two Leighton Meester is hopeful and excited about what the coming months may bring.

“Back-to-school is always a fresh start,” she tells Yahoo Life. “It’s when I reimagine what the rest of the year is going to be. I remember every year being like, ‘OK, what am I going to be like? Who are my friends going to be? What am I going to wear?’ You get to reinvent yourself. Now, with kids, it’s such an exciting time, because we’ve just had this really awesome, but exhausting summer, and they get to go and see all their friends again.”

While the actress acknowledges that her 8-year-old Arlo likely “has all the same anxieties that everyone else does,” she’s excited for her daughter’s next academic chapter. “I know she loves reading, and she loves her teacher, she loves her friends, so it’s wonderful,” says Meester, who is married to actor Adam Brody.

She also enjoys packing her daughter’s lunch every day, as it’s an opportunity to get creative and turn a meal into a “work of art.” At the same time, Meester recognizes that she is in “an amazing position” as a parent who doesn’t have to think about whether she can pack Arlo’s lunches with nutritious foods. “That’s an issue that so many people struggle with,” she notes. “I’m just reminded every day how lucky I am.” And it’s an impetus for partnering with GoGo squeeZ to fill up lunch boxes at North Valley Caring Services Food Pantry in Los Angeles County and providing up to 250,000 meals to families through a donation to Feeding America, the largest hunger relief organization in the United States.

“Feeding America is an organization I’ve been working with for quite a few years, and so I’m just always on board with their programs and everything that they do, and GoGo squeeZ is being very generous with this donation,” says Meester. “It’s really wonderful.”

Growing up experiencing food insecurity herself is one of many reasons Meester is so passionate about working with Feeding America. “We relied on food stamps and welfare,” recalls the actress. “A lot of the time, there would be money at the beginning of the month and not so much at the end. So … we would have to pick and choose, and I absolutely relate to having to put things back on the shelf or not necessarily having enough for either dinner or breakfast or your lunch [and] relying on school lunch programs and after-school lunch programs. And just feeling hungry.”

Now that Meester has children of her own, she can’t help but notice just how devastating hunger can be to kids’ development or fun time. “When [my kids] are hungry, even a little bit, that’s the first box that I check off. ‘Here, have a snack,’ and everything is great again,” she says. “As a parent, it’s such a basic need to be able to feed your child, whether it’s snacks or a full meal, and there are so many people in this country [who] can’t afford to put food on the table.”

Volunteering is a topic Meester says she talks about “quite often” with Arlo. “She’s not quite old enough to volunteer yet, but we live such an amazingly lucky life that we get to put food on the table, and I try to — as much as possible — volunteer and advocate for people who go hungry because it’s such a way of life for so many people,” explains the mom of two.

As her youngest is about to turn 3, Meester is noticing more and more just what “amazing people” her kids are — although, she jokes, she may be biased, given that she’s their mom, after all. She’s also loving watching their personalities blossom. “It’s fascinating to see completely different human beings,” says the proud mom. “They’re interested in different things. It makes me even more sure we’re born the way we are.”

When it comes to her own evolution, Meester is proudly moving beyond the mom guilt she used to contend with when juggling her career and parenthood. “I was like, ‘Well, I’m not with them when I’m working and acting,’” she remembers. “Sometimes you don’t see your kids for a couple of days, if not more, at a time.”

Now, she’s embracing the fact that pursuing her professional dreams sends an important message to her children. “One of the things that’s helpful to learn for me is that my kids should see me be independent, should see me work and fulfill my own dreams and what I want to do with my life — that’s not just all being a mom,” she notes. “I do think that that’s an amazing role to play for a lot of people, but I do really think that they appreciate seeing me out doing what I love to do.”

She adds, “They go with the flow. And they’re proud of me. It’s just what it is. And I’m proud of that.”