Mindy Kaling's Mother's Day Post Is About Seeing The Holiday Through Her Daughter's Eyes

Sunday’s Mother’s Day feed just got a lot cuter: Mindy Kaling shared a photo of her daughter Katherine in a new Mother’s Day post. The Never Have I Ever creator shared a rare snapshot of her daughter, 2, on social media on May 10 to celebrate the holiday, and called on her followers to share their favorite memories of their mothers or the mother figures in their lives. Like other snapshots of her daughter, Kaling’s post doesn’t show Katherine’s face — but still, the tot’s pigtails, patterned blue dress, and white sneakers manage to steal the show.

“Sending a little extra love today to all of the moms, and to anyone who may be missing theirs right now,” Kaling captioned the image. “It’s nice how through my daughter, I am able to experience memories with my own mom.” The candid photograph, taken by photographer Shannon Lee Vonderach, captures Katherine as the focal point as she walks toward her mom, blurred and out of focus in the background. Kaling added, “If you have a favorite memory about your mom or mother figure, I’d love to hear!”

Kaling welcomed Katherine, her first child, in December 2017. And, while she has often share snapshots of her daughter on social media, she’s always hidden her face to maintain privacy. “I’m on social media and like sharing with people what my interests are and how my day’s going and all of that, but I do feel entitled to have privacy about my daughter and my relationships," Kaling explained to Glamour last June. "It’s really essential to my life that there be something not everybody knows about. That’s a boundary, but it’s a very small boundary."

Still, Kaling has offered some sweet glimpses into her life as a mother, like the photo above. The Late Night actor has shared photos with her daughter in matching pajamas in the past, as well as matching glitter shoes and pink Converses. In an interview with New York Times Magazine in June 2019, Kaling opened up about motherhood and revealed that she was surprised at how much she enjoyed it.

“I did not think I had a big maternal instinct. I’m very impatient, and having a baby requires an amount of patience that I was worried about,” Kaling said. “But they don’t tell you that the thing will look so much like you, and do things that are so sweet and adorable, that you’ll naturally not have the same impatience that you would have with a stranger or someone who works for you.”

Here’s to hoping Kaling will continue to document Katherine’s sweet and adorable moments on social media, regardless of whether her little face appears.