Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck Navigate the Challenges of Parenting a House Full of Teenagers
In a recent interview on Live with Kelly and Mark, renowned actress Jennifer Lopez shed light on the trials and triumphs of raising teenagers alongside her husband, Ben Affleck. The talented couple faces the unique challenge of managing a blended family with an assortment of teenagers under one roof.
Jennifer, 53, is the proud mother of 15-year-old twins, Maximilian “Max” David and Emme Maribel, whom she shares with her ex-husband Marc Anthony. Meanwhile, Ben, 50, brings his own parenting experiences to the table, being the father of three children from his previous marriage to Jennifer Garner. The Affleck brood includes 17-year-old Violet, 14-year-old Seraphina, and 11-year-old Samuel.
During the interview, Jennifer humorously remarked, “It’s almost five teenagers! The younger one is 11, so he’s not quite there, but pre-teen!” Co-host Kelly Ripa teasingly suggested that the pre-teen years might be more challenging than the actual teenage years, to which the Second Act actress quickly defended her youngest, saying, “He’s an angel.”
Nevertheless, the multi-talented entertainer candidly admitted that the teenage years could be tough. She described the transition as a time when children strive for independence and test boundaries. “It’s challenging. You have this baby for a while, and then it’s like your best little friend who loves being with you all the time. And then all of a sudden, it’s like, ‘Get out of my room,'” Jennifer shared.
“It’s a time when they are individuating, and they are challenging everything you say and everything you do and everything you are, and that’s what it is,” she went further. “And you have to kind of just ride the waves.”
Using a surfing analogy, Lopez likened the experience of parenting teenagers to riding waves, where one might occasionally get knocked over but ultimately finds their footing again.
Kelly Ripa chimed in with her own humorous take on the situation, revealing that she sometimes hides from her own teenagers in the closet. Understanding the sentiment all too well, Lopez playfully responded, “I understand more than you know!”
The global superstar also discussed the dynamics of being a mother and the perception that teenagers often favor their fathers. Recalling her own relationship with her father, Lopez admitted, “I think it’s particularly hard on moms because they always love dad, they’re always like, ‘Dad’s the best!’—and I was like that with my dad too!” She then turned to her mother, Guadalupe Rodríguez, who joined her on the show, and shared a heartfelt moment by acknowledging her newfound understanding. “And my mom told me, and I’ll say it to you right now, on TV in front of everybody. I understand you so much more now,” Lopez expressed.
In the interview, Lopez also touched upon the contrasting parenting styles between herself and her mother. Reflecting on their different experiences, she explained, “I’m just a little bit looser. I think my mom, for a long time, was a stay-at-home mom, and I’ve always been a working mom, so that right there is a very different thing.” She continued, “And also, she was 20 years old—by the time she was 26, she had three kids. So she was kind of a kid raising kids. And I had my kids when I was 38, so I had them much later, so I was more of an adult at that time. We kind of grew up together,” Lopez shared, emphasizing the generational differences that influenced their parenting approaches.
It’s not easy raising teenagers, let alone five of them, but Lopez and Affleck seem to be taking it all in stride.
