The toughest part of parenting for the actress has been allowing her and Ben Affleck’s three children — Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12 — to make decisions by themselves.
“I have a really hard time not saying, ‘This is what I see you as,’ and, ‘I think you should,’” the “13 Going on 30” star admitted to People in an interview published Thursday. “I really have to sit on my hands.”
Jennifer Garner shared the “hard[est]” part of raising her and Ben Affleck’s kids.Getty Images
The “Alias” alum struggles to let Violet, Seraphina and Samuel make their own decisions.AFP via Getty Images
“I really have to sit on my hands,” she said.Getty Images
Garner, 51, noted that her parents did the same while raising her, which she is “amazed by” since it is “so hard.”
She called her little ones “solid,” gushing, “I’m just watching them in this new phase of life where they’re figuring out who they’re going to be and what they’re going to study. And I’m so interested in them. All the time, I’m interested in everything about them.”
The Golden Globe winner became a mom in 2005 when Violet arrived, followed by Seraphina and Samuel in 2009 and 2012, respectively.
Garner has coparented her little ones with her ex-husband since 2015.GC Images
They often reunite for their kids’ sakes.GC Images
She and Affleck, 51, have co-parented the trio since separating in 2015 and finalizing their divorce three years later.
The former couple are often photographed chatting at their youngest child’s basketball games, most recently reuniting at Disneyland for Samuel’s birthday.
As for the preteen’s siblings, Seraphina debuted a buzzcut last month and Violet is gearing up for college.
Violet, Seraphina and Samuel are “solid,” Garner gushed on Thursday.@broadimage / SplashNews.com
She gushed, “I’m interested in everything about them.”Thecelebrityfinder/MEGA
Garner told “Live With Kelly and Mark” viewers about the “exciting” process in November 2023.
“She’s handling it like a champ and she’s totally in charge,” the “Alias” alum said at the time. “I’m not having to say, ‘Are you doing this, are you doing this?’ She’s a self-starter. And I’m just proud of her no matter what.”
Garner’s boyfriend, John Miller, has two kids of his own, while Affleck is the stepdad to his wife Jennifer Lopez’s twins, Emme and Max.
