Olivia Wilde recently opened up about being a new mom and explained that “family is everything” to her.

The 30-year-old former House star welcomed her son Otis Alexander with her fiancé Jason Sudeikis in April, and admits that being a mom has changed her forever.

On Tuesday, while co-hosting the International Women’s Media Foundation‘s 25th Anniversary Courage in Journalism Awards in Beverly Hills, California, Wilde explained how being a parent influences her every choice and decision.

“The amazing thing about becoming a parent is that you will never again be your own first priority,” she explained.

“The gift of motherhood is the selflessness that it introduces you to, and I think that’s really freeing. And in terms of being a storyteller, I think it allows you to put yourself in other people’s shoes…the empathy that it slugs you with, being a mother. And I think it makes you a better storyteller.”

All the reasons why @OliviaWilde is, well, wild about being a mom http://t.co/KKQ9NQLngf pic.twitter.com/n2Zqy9d0SX

— People magazine (@peoplemag) October 30, 2014

“I take my place in the world a little bit more seriously being a mother … I hope I can tell stories that somehow benefit the world that Otis will grow up in,” Wilde added.

While it has been an adjustment, with many sleepless nights, Wilde says that her son is amazing and she is enjoying every second of being a mother. “He’s amazing in every way,” she said. “He’s a very sweet person.”