Jennifer Lopez has shared some thoughts about motherhood and explained why her 15-year-old twins, Max and Emme, “don’t want to talk” to her anymore.
The 53-year-old singer talked about how her children, who she shares with ex-husband Marc Anthony, are in the midst of their teenage years during a recent appearance on The View. She noted that when raising her children with husband Ben Affleck, she’s been more of the “bad cop” instead of the good one.
“I remember my mom saying to me, ‘I’m always the bad guy, I got to discipline you,’” she said about her mother, Guadalupe Rodríguez. “And there is some truth to that. You get a little bit of the brunt of it.”
After tying the knot in 2022, Lopez blended her family with Affleck’s, who shares three children with his ex-wife, Jennfier Garner: Violet, 17, Seraphina, 14, and Samuel, 11.
During her appearance on The View, the Shotgun Wedding star noted how her mother’s wisdom about parenting stayed with her, as her twins have started to spend less time with her.
“I’m experiencing this now, you know we all experience it for the first time with our own kids,” Lopez explained. “And you’re just like, ‘Oh, this is what she was talking about.’ This is the time where your kids don’t want to talk to you. And they’re kind of individuating from you.”
She continued: “And it’s all necessary. And intellectually, I understand it, but my heart, my heart hurts.”
When TV host Sunny Hostin poked fun at how teenagers sometimes stay “locked up in their rooms,” Lopez agreed. She explained how she encourages her twins to come out of their rooms, as she exclaimed: “Let’s hang out. I miss you!”
This isn’t the first time that Lopez has opened up about her relationship with her twins. During an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in February 2022, the Marry Me star discussed how her children feel about having a famous mother.
“They love it and they don’t. I think they’re very proud. They love me, I love them,” she said. “The three of us are like super, super close. But I think it’s a thing that people know who their mom is. They’re navigating that. They’re teenagers now. Their friends know things.”
Earlier this year, Lopez took to Instagram to share a video tribute to Max and Emme in honour of their 15th birthday. Affleck also makes an appearance in the video, as he was seen hugging Max in one short clip, while another photo showed him posing at a table with his wife and her two children.
“Happy birthday to my beautiful, brilliant coconuts,” the “On the Floor” singer wrote in the caption. “I am so proud of you both in every single way. You bring so much joy and happiness to my heart and soul. I love you beyond forever.”
