Jennifer Garner Reveals Parenting Advice She Received From Her Mom

Jennifer Garner has taken away some very helpful parenting advice from her mom, Patricia Garner.

“My mom always says when they’re being the worst, that’s when they need the biggest hug,” Jennifer, 52, explained on an episode of “Kelly Corrigan Wonders” podcast on Wednesday, May 8. “She has a lot of things she says, but one of them is, ‘Anytime you can say yes, say yes, be very liberal with your yeses and save your nos. And that closing your mouth is worth a million nos.’”

Jennifer, who shares kids Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12, with ex-husband Ben Affleck, went on to share that her mom is a “big believer” in not “going deep on what’s hard.”

“There’s certainly been times in my life where I’ll call her and I’ll be going through something that is just so overwhelming for her that she will just say, ‘Well, anyway,’ and she changes the subject and I have to hang up and call my sisters because I’ve reached the end of what mom can do,” the 13 Going on 30 actress explained.

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Jennifer has previously opened up about the struggles that come from motherhood – especially as a working mom.

“Working moms … get all freaked out because we’re told constantly, ‘You have 18 summers, you have this much time … Time is fleeting,’” she told Access Hollywood in October 2023. “It makes you panic, and my mom has always said to me, ‘You’re their mom forever. Don’t worry, you can do your job … your kids are gonna be so proud of you.’”

Jennifer noted that while there are times she’s “fully around” and other times she’s not because of work, working parents need to give themselves “some grace.”

On top of being a working mom, Jennifer also deals with the challenges of coparenting with her three children and Affleck, 51. Jennifer and Affleck split in 2015 after 10 years of marriage. He has since married Jennifer Lopez in 2022, while Jennifer has been dating John Miller on and off since 2015.

“It’s always a work in progress,” a source told Us Weekly in February 2020. “Things come up between them, but they are committed to doing the best they can for the kids. They stay on top of things and have a lot of meetings and check-ins. They want to be the best parents they can for the kids. If they have differences, they keep it to themselves and don’t let it have an impact. They always put on happy faces for the kids and put their well-being first.”

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According to the insider, Jennifer has a “very specific” parenting plan, which Affleck continues to “respect.”

“She’s a great mom and knows what she’s doing,” the source shared with Us. “He gives her a lot of credit for getting them to where they are today as a family.”