Drew Barrymore was "selfish" before she became a mother.

The 50-year-old actress-turned-talk show host has Olive, 12, and 10-year-old Frankie with her ex-husband Will Kopelman and admitted that while motherhood is "consuming", she still "prefers" this version of herself.

Responding to a fan who asked how long it took to readjust back to being herself after having a baby, she wrote in a piece of UsWeekly: "I'm still not myself. And I don't know if I will ever get back to the carefree, selfish person I was before children. I can never not know this love and concern I have for my two daughters.

"It's consuming. I am just trying to embrace the new me. And I do prefer me now. I'm much more capable. Much more trustworthy. Much more admirable than I ever was. "

Despite this, the 'Never Been Kissed' star added that being childfree or a parent should both be "considered perfectly fulfilling roads" in life, and that "time" is the best way to learn about oneself.

That being said, 'motherhood' or 'otherhood' should be considered perfectly fulfilling roads. And may each one of them lead us to our better selves. I think this takes time, though. Maturity has so much to do with it. Time is the great teacher."

Meanwhile, Drew was then asked about how she manages to plan a family trip that caters to everyone's tastes and needs.

She explained: "If one family member loves to be lazy and make no plans and lie around all day … let them do that! And if other members are active and want to see a place and experience it for all it is, you just have to put together two different itineraries.

"One, the Lazy Man's Agenda, which is you let them figure it out for themselves! And tell them they
are always invited. No. 2, the people who want to be proactive, you search out restaurants, activities, traditions, sites to be seen or local off-the-beaten-path suggestions, and you can aggregate from simple Google searches or magazine clippings or friends who have been there."