Jennifer Garner is 51 going on 22 years in Hollywood, leaving her with no shortage of fan-favorite roles.
But not everyone in the 13 Going on 30 star’s life is a fan of her work. This includes her three children with ex-husband Ben Affleck: Violet Anne, 17, Seraphina Rose, 13, and Samuel, 10.
“They don’t mind watching their dad,” Jennifer admitted to Allure in an interview published May 9, “but they kind of want me to be their mom. They don’t want to see me upset and women cry more in what we do. And they don’t really want to see me in a romantic thing.”
But while being a mom was always in the cards for the actress, she admitted that her parenting style has evolved a lot since welcoming Violet.
“I was such a first-time mom. [My eldest daughter] didn’t have a shot,” she explained. “She couldn’t have a free thought — I was all over her. I was a nightmare for everyone around me.”
Since then, Jennifer has learned to “have a lot of faith” in her kids. Although she doesn’t “love every behavior all the time”, she trusts in the process.
“Your kids will really figure out who they are and what they are when they’re older,” she added, “and most likely they will hew toward lovely.”
