Michelle Monaghan sought parenting advice from Kevin Bacon.

Michelle Monaghan

Michelle Monaghan

The 41-year-old actress, who has three-year-old son Tommy, and eight-year-old daughter Willow with her husband Peter White - has revealed her 'Patriots Day' co-star advised her to endure the "sleepless nights" she was suffering with and "not to worry" about potty training her children before they reached a certain age.

Speaking to Maisonette.com about the 58-year-old actor's tips, she said: "We were getting to know each other and I told him my husband and I were really in the thick of it, sleepless nights, exhaustion, the whole thing. And he said to me: 'This too shall pass.' And it did.

"But what he also meant was to treasure every moment. Not to worry about when they'd be potty-trained, but to focus on every step along the way."

And the 'Sleepless' star has since thanked the 'Footloose' movie legend for the "impactful" words of wisdom.

She explained: "I always wanted to tell Kevin how impactful that advice was. And I finally got the chance - we recently did a film together.

"When I finally saw him, he had actually just written a song to his daughter who was going off to college. And of course, he called it, 'This Too Shall Pass.' "

Although Michelle has got to grips with motherhood, she believes every parent will "fear" the first time they give birth.

She said: "Just having children, honestly, just going through labour. I think every mom will admit that there is such a fear the first time, like, 'How am I going to get this thing out of my body?'

"And you live with that for nine months and then you experience the miracle of giving birth, and that you did it! And you think, 'I made a baby and then gave birth to it!'"

But she will often put her "tail between her legs" at times because she sometimes struggles balancing her career with parenting.

She explained: "We all have so many responsibilities outside of our family lives, and it is so difficult to manage that balance at times. I know how difficult it can be! I am not going to lie, I put my tail between my legs a lot."