AceShowbiz - In a poignant Instagram post titled "PHONE HOME" - a nod to her iconic role in "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial", Drew Barrymore, 49, took a stroll down memory lane to revisit her January 1995 Playboy cover. The actress, who posed for the magazine just before her 20th birthday, now offers a fresh perspective on that experience, especially as a mother to two daughters.

Barrymore's message was not only a reflection on her past but also a testament to her evolution as a person who has grown up in the public eye. She recalled, "I was around plenty of hedonistic scenarios at parties and even in my own home where the viewing was of highly sensitive natures and caused me tremendous shame."

She continued, "We, as kids, are not meant to see these images. And, yes, I was even a big exhibitionist when I was young due to these environments I was in. I thought of it as art, and I still do not judge it."

However, the rise of digital media has given Barrymore a new lens through which to view her Playboy stint. "But when I did a chaste artistic moment in Playboy in my early 20s, I thought it would be a magazine that was unlikely to resurface because it was paper. I never knew there would be an internet. I didn't know so many things," she admitted.

Barrymore revealed that her unconventional upbringing in Hollywood, where she was emancipated at age 14 and living on her own, shaped much of her early life. She recounted, "My own mother was lambasted for allowing me to get so out of control. I have so much empathy for her now, because I am a mother. And none of us is perfect."

With her own daughters, Olive, 12, and Frankie, 10, Barrymore is determined to offer them the protection she longed for as a child. Highlighting the pitfalls of modern-day technology, she expressed, "I never thought in my wildest dreams that kids would be in my boat of too much excess and access." She emphasizes the dangers digital media poses, particularly how "texts can get so toxic."

Despite the challenges Barrymore faced, she acknowledges the kindness and forgiveness people have shown her over the years. "I put one foot in front of the other and put my life back on track, only to make more mistakes along the way, but that is life. We make mistakes. And people have been so kind to me. Forgiven me. And cheered me on as I grew up."

In her closing, Barrymore's message rings with hope and a call for compassion, "So yeah, it is also my karma and life's work to cheer people on right back! We all fall and rise. Over and over. Life's roller coaster. And what a beautiful ride it is. But here on earth is a timed-out journey. We must make the best of it and take care of each other in the process."