Why Tia Mowry says divorce is 'the best gift' she can give to her kids

Tia Mowry is opening up about one of the reasons she decided to divorce her husband of 14 years, Cory Hardrict.

Mowry explained how her two children, Cree, 11, and Cairo, 5, influenced her decision in an interview with Hello Beautiful published on June 28.

"A part of my decision was also for them," Mowry said of her divorce. "For them seeing their mother walk in truth. I feel like it’s a great lesson for them because it was not an easy decision. It was one of the hardest decisions that I had ever had to make in my entire life. But if they see that mommy can do it, that mommy, no matter what people say, no matter, even if there’s some sort of doubt, whatever, mommy pushed through. [They can say] my mommy is living and chasing her truth. I want my children to do that.

"That’s the best gift I can give them," she continued. "I want for them not to live a life that I want them to live, for them not to live a life that everybody else wants them to live or what they think that they should be or live. I want them to see that it is okay to have a bad day. I want them to see that it is okay to chase your joy. I want them to see that it is okay to live your truth."

Mowry announced the news of her divorce in October, and said in an Instagram post that she and Hardrict would co-parent their son and daughter.

"I have always been honest with my fans, and today is no different," Mowry captioned the post at the time. "I wanted to share that Cory and I have decided to go our separate ways. These decisions are never easy, and not without sadness. We will maintain a friendship as we co-parent our beautiful children. I am grateful for all the happy times we had together and want to thank my friends, family and fans for your love and support as we start this new chapter moving forward in our lives."

According to court documents obtained by NBC News, Mowry cited irreconcilable differences in her divorce filing.

The couple finalized their divorce by April, and the actors "entered into a written agreement regarding their property and their marriage or domestic partnership rights, including support," according to court documents.

Mowry and Hardrict will continue with an agreement they reached in October, which proposed that they share legal and physical custody of Cree and Cairo, according to court documents. They also requested to end the court’s control of spousal support.

Mowry wrote in an Instagram post in April the past few months had been some of "the hardest of my life."

"There’s no telling what direction life is going to take you, and nothing but one thing is ever certain: the love I have for these two," she wrote in the caption of a photo of her with her children.

She added: "Even when the going gets tough, I do everything for my kids, for their future, and for the generations to come."

This article was originally published on TODAY.com