(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Maggie Gyllenhaal says it’s “OK to fail” at being a parent sometimes.

The actress has a three-year-old daughter, Ramona, with her husband Peter Sarsgaard and often struggles to balance her personal and professional life. Maggie loves being a mother but found it easy to identify with her stressed out character in Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang, who feels overwhelmed by looking after her children and running a farm.

In the movie, her character Isabel Green is given a helping hand by Nanny McPhee and Maggie insists parents shouldn’t try to do everything on their own.

“Mrs. Green literally had a birds nest in her hair and children hanging from the chandelier and she kept saying she was fine. When my daughter was first born I kept saying, ‘I don’t need anybody, I’m just going to do this by myself.’ I thought I could make a home, be a good wife, and do all these things,” Maggie told Pop Tarts. “But I have since realised that wasn’t realistic for me. It’s OK not to be able to do everything all the time, to fail as a parent sometimes.

“Now I have a wonderful nanny. I am somebody who spends every possible minute I can with my daughter – but I do need help."

Maggie is glad she decided to hire a nanny to look at Ramona. She believes her involvement in Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang allowed her to accept she needed help and she is thrilled to have found such a wonderful carer for her child.

“I believe this movie must have brought me good nanny karma because I found a lovely, lovely nanny for my daughter – I just thank God for her,” she added. (C) Cover Media