Jada Pinkett Smith had to make a lot of adjustments to her life when she married Will Smith, including letting go of some of her fantasies. But she couldn’t be in the house with her family all the time. For the sake of her own mental health, she needed to take a break from her husband and kids on occasion. Which was something that, admittedly, could be difficult for the Smith clan.

How Jada Pinkett Smith regrouped from her duties as a mother and wife

Jada Pinkett has been very candid about her desire to have a certain level of freedom in her life. One of the reasons why she was hesitant about tying the knot with Smith was because she feared marriage would limit her autonomy. At times, she found just being called Smith’s wife annoying.

“I knew that I was not built for conventional marriage,” Jada Pinkett once said in an interview with The Guardian. “Even the word ‘wife’: it’s a golden cage, swallow the key. Even before I was married, I was like, ‘That’ll kill me.’ And it damn near did!”

So it was important for Jada Pinkett to spend some time away from her family. In a 2011 interview with Chicago Parent, The Matrix Reloaded star revealed what she did to give herself a hiatus from her familial duties.

“I really just take the time to say ‘Mommy’s out.’ You know, to just have quiet time. That type of time is very valuable and it’s very important because as women, we put out so much, so important that we plug in somewhere,” Jada Pinkett said. “A lot of times, people try to make it seem as though that’s not important, like you’ve just got to give, give, give, give. And, if you don’t, then that makes you a bad mom and a bad person, if you even want to take a sliver of time for yourself.”

Jada Pinkett further confided that her kids and Smith didn’t always appreciate her going off the grid. But she reassured that refreshing herself was always worth it in the end.

“What I’ve learned is that I’m a much better mother and a much better wife when I have time to be able to go and just collect myself. My husband has learned and my kids have learned, and receive the rewards of Mommy having time to herself. It’s clear in the household, you know? It’s just clear. It’s not fun when Mommy goes away. My husband’s like, ‘Oooh, I don’t know,’ and the kids are like, ‘Mommy, don’t leave.’ But once I come back and I’m ready, they’re inside, so it’s all good,” she said.

Will Smith still vacationed with his ex-wife Sheree Zampino while spending some time away from Jada Pinkett Smith

Jada Pinkett wasn’t the only person in the Smith family who’d spent some quality time away from the family. Smith did so as well. However, the Independence Day star would also occasionally vacation with his ex-wife Zampino. The revelation came from Jada Pinkett herself, who didn’t mind Smith’s friendship with his ex-wife.

“They take trips, I’m not there. They do their thing,” Jada Pinkett said on her Red Table Talk (via Revolt). “Not together romantically but if he’s going on a book tour and [Will’s] mom is going and his sister, it’s fun for me to watch them enjoy each other. It takes time though. We’re not having trouble, everyone. Let’s make that clear because you know that’ll be the next rumor.”

Jada Pinkett had become good friends with Zampino, who’s the mother of Smith’s oldest child Trey. The Gotham alum revealed to Zampino, who visited her Red Table Talk show, how she eventually learned to embrace Smith’s ex in her life.

“This woman is a part of this family,” Jada Pinkett continued. “[I was] not only taking on Trey, but Sheree is coming along too. Looking back, I definitely would have taken a beat as far as putting myself in the dynamic of you guys [and] let you two flesh out whatever you need to figure out. I didn’t understand it.”