Jennifer Garner Claps Back Against The Idea That Moms Only Have ‘18 Summers’ With Their Kids

Jennifer Garner is not here for your sad mom content. You know, the TikToks that make you cry and Instagram captions that feel like a dagger in your emotional parent heart. If you’ve somehow managed to skip these and don’t know what we’re talking about (lucky!!), Garner explained it all in a new interview — as well as the genius advice her own mother Patricia Garner gave her to help.

“Working moms … get all freaked out because we’re told constantly, ‘You have 18 summers, you have this much time. Time is fleeting.’ And it makes you panic,” the 13 Going on 30 star told Access Hollywoodthis week. (Raise your hand if you’ve been personally victimized by this phrase!) “And my mom has always said to me, ‘You’re their mom forever. Don’t worry, you can do your job. You’re their mom forever… your kids are gonna be so proud of you.’ She’s always given me that kind of grounding.”

BRB, sobbing into my keyboard right now. Her mom just effectively dismantled years of mom guilt by speaking truth that we all need to hear. We are their moms forever — the whole “18 summers” guilt-inducing propaganda can die now, please and thank you.

The Last Thing He Told Me star continued, “If you come from a place of expansiveness instead of feeling just like, ‘I can’t be a mom because I’m also working and I’m supposed to be guilty all the time,’ you better just lean into wherever you are, any day, right now, just be here when your kids show up, be there, and we’ll have a great time.”

“In my world, the balance is that sometimes I’m really fully all around and sometimes I’m really not,” she went on. “So whatever it is, however your balance looks, just give yourself some grace.” Absolutely perfect advice! Kids need love and attention, but they don’t need you beating yourself up every second you aren’t spending on them. Let’s all agree to let the mom guilt go this year!

Garner is mom to Violet, 17, Seraphina, 14, and Samuel, 11, with ex-husband Ben Affleck. Last month, the two were spotted in Affleck’s car with their middle daughter as the Argo star gave Garner a lift back to her vehicle. Garner and Affleck seem to have a healthy co-parenting relationship, which includes Affleck’s wife Jennifer Lopez and her twins, Emme and Max, 14.

After clapping back at the “18 summers” crowd — and anyone who tries to make moms feel guilty about their parenting — we love Garner even more!

These celebrity exes are getting co-parenting right.