Jennifer Garner says she doesn't apologize to her kids about working
Jennifer Garner opened up about her parenting journey in an exclusive interview with InStyle, published Wednesday.
The 54-year-old actress, who shares three children with her ex-husband, actor and director Ben Affleck, spoke about balancing her career and family life and not apologizing to her kids when she's pursuing acting.
"When I work, I don't apologize to my kids for it," Garner said. "I do thank them for being so sweet about it. But that's part of life. Working hard is part of life, and messing up is part of life. Tripping and falling -- there's room for all of it."
Garner rose to fame in hit shows like 2001's spy thriller series "Alias," which she starred in for five seasons, and the now-classic romantic comedy "13 Going On 30," about a 13-year-old girl whose wish of being a 30-year-old woman comes true overnight.
The actress currently stars in the upcoming series "The Five Star Weekend," based on Elin Hilderbrand's bestselling novel of the same name, and will appear in the upcoming comedy film "One Attempt Remaining" alongside John Cena, Kate McKinnon and Yara Shahidi.
Garner previously told The Hollywood Reporter in a 2021 interview that after having her third child, she was "just trying to keep the plates spinning" and wasn't ready to retire, something she reiterated to InStyle.
"When my kids were little, I worked so little, and then we had such an upheaval in our family, that I really hardly worked for a long time," Garner said, adding that she's now thankful to be able to return to acting more.
With her two younger children now in their teen years and her eldest daughter Violet now 20, Garner said she relates to her character Hollis Shaw in "The Five Star Weekend," who is learning to navigate life in middle age.
"I relate to that feeling of like, 'Okay, I gave everything to mothering. I'm still their mom, I'm not going anywhere, I'm still all-in. I'm also really grateful to have this part of my life back,'" she said.
Overall, Garner said she has learned over the years to let go of controlling everything in her life, including when it comes to motherhood.
"You have to raise yourself at the same time. And just be so radically kind to yourself about how imperfect it is," she said. "There's no such thing as balance. There's no such thing as doing it right."
