Shields and Chris's first and oldest daughter, Rowan, was born on May 15, 2003. Per People, she grew up in New York City and maintains a close relationship with her famous mom. When she's able to, she accompanies Shields to big events like the 2022 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner and The Hollywood Reporter's 2022 Most Powerful People in Media party in NYC.
Rowan graduated from high school in June 2021 before she went off to attend Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC, that August. She also got matching ladybug tattoos with her mom before then. A few months later, during an appearance on "Live With Kelly and Ryan," Shields shared that sending her oldest off to college was the "worst thing I've ever experienced in my life." "You want them to be happy, but you really don't want them to be happy," she joked.
In April 2022, Shields also told "People (the TV Show!)" that she'll likely never get used to Rowan leaving the nest and being out on her own. "She's really living her life, she's enjoying college, she's just really blossoming and growing," she said. "I listen to the way [my daughters] talk to each other and their friends and the things they're discussing, and you think, 'Wow, she's really her own person and I've done my best in my job and I'm going to try to get out of her way.'"