Naomi Watts on Growing Older, Wiser & Stronger 'I'M LEANING INTO MY VULNERABILITY'

WITH A NEW BOOK ON MENOPAUSE, THE ACTRESS GETS REFRESHINGLY REAL ABOUT SEX, MARRIAGE AND PARENTING TEENS: 'I'VE LAID IT ALL OUT THERE'

- EILEEN FINAN

Naomi Watts has had a few awkward moments as mom to two teens. Like the time one of them came across her new vibrator (glow-in-the-dark, with multiple speeds) lying on her bed. "Yeah, it was embarrassing for my teenager and me," Watts admits of the discovery. "But it wasn't so surprising."

That's because her kids-Sasha, 17, and Kai, 16, whom she shares with former partner Liev Schreiber-have gotten used to having a mom who isn't afraid to talk about things that are often taboo, like her own challenging journey into menopause, which she chronicles in her new book Dare I Say It: Everything I Wish I'd Known About Menopause. "I think there are moments where they're completely grossed out, and there are moments where they're like, 'Rock on, Mom,'" says Watts, 56, of her teens' reaction to her openness.

Although the actress has become one of the most recognizable voices on the topic, it took years before she was ready to speak up about her experience. At 36, just after starring in Peter Jackson's 2005 blockbuster King Kong-and just as she was trying to have children-she was shocked to learn she was going through early menopause. In an industry where growing older has long been a liability for a woman, the actress kept quiet. "I spent a long time living in secrecy and shame," she says.