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her loving grandmother for a time. But Oprah always remembered the wise counsel told by grandmother Hattie Mae Lee, about always giving back what she received. And, with her giving spirit, Oprah has given back, in droves.

Grandmother Hattie Mae Lee's wise words about giving back were crucial. The Big Give (the defunct reality show), Oprah's Favorite Things, The Angel Network, and The Leadership Academy are all strong reminders of what Oprah gave back at HARPO.

HARPO Studios (home of the Oprah Show) is run by a tight-knit group of female staffers including an executive producer and nine producers. For over twenty years, Oprah has worked with a large team of women who held enormous responsibilities by coordinating hectic work schedules with marriage and family.

From these women and countless other female friends (who are mothers themselves), Oprah has learned first-hand about motherhood. She's been front row and center studying her friends' lives and living vicariously through them. Oprah has also learned in her supporting role of godmother to Kirby, the daughter of her closest and dearest friend, Gayle King. Oprah is also stepmother (so-to-speak) to Wendy, the daughter of her longtime companion, Stedman Graham.

Oprah gets it'. She understands the trials and tribulation mothers endure. A popular phrase of hers is motherhood is the hardest job in the world'. When her former senior producer, Mary Kay Clinton, left the Oprah Show to stay home full-time to raise her daughter, she resigned with Oprah's full support, blessing, and complete understanding. Oprah has remained extremely close to Mary Kay, and her daughter, Katy Rose, another of Oprah's godchildren.

Oprah has become a mother, not through pregnancy or adoption, but by understanding a mother's heart. Her desire to help parents become better parents for their children's sake confirms that. She has disclosed that devoting time to motherhood herself would be an impossible task because of the size and scope of her empire. Musing jokingly, she has expressed "that's why I have dogs."

To the families of her daughters, Mama Oprah affirms "your daughters are now my daughters and I promise you I'm going to take care of your daughters. I promise you."

Learn more about this author, Audrina Kingston.
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