Jennifer Garner Reveals the Emotional Mother's Day Request She Made of Her Kids - Just Jared - Celebrity News and Gossip

Jennifer Garner is opening up about her home life.

The 54-year-old Alias actress stars on the cover of the July/August 2026 issue of Better Homes & Gardens, out now.

During the conversation, she spoke her children, family traditions, her unique Mother’s Day request, lessons about forgiveness, and making time for the people in her life.

Jennifer shares three children with her ex-husband, Ben Affleck. Their children are: Violet, 20, Seraphina (also known as Finn), 17, and Samuel, 14.

Check out what Jennifer Garner had to say…

On her one unique request for Mother’s Day this year, which was to pile into the upstairs reading nook and let her read aloud from their favorite childhood books one more time:

“They’re like, ‘Mom.’ And I’m like, ‘I know, but I think I need that. You have to let me.’”

On making time for her female friendships, even at 6am:

“I feel like I’m usually kind of the buzzkill— ‘sorry, I’m busy.’ But if I’m home and there is free time, I will find time for my ladies. It may be like 6 in the morning, but I will see my friends.”

On feeling like a ‘visitor’ in her own home during busy work periods:

“When I’m working, I can almost feel like a visitor in the house. I’m gone before [the kids] are awake. I give them a kiss when I come home. I might have dinner with them, and then I’m like, ‘I’m so sorry, I have to learn lines and go to bed.’”

On life after her oldest daughter left for college:

“We miss her a lot. When Violet calls or FaceTimes, we’re all crowded around the phone.”

“I remember when my big sister left, my little sister and I connected in a different way. My mom and I connected in a different way. I see that happening [with Fin and Sam], and there’s sweetness in that.”

On what she hopes her children will take from their childhoods:

“I hope they value humor. Laughing your way through it, loving people through it, finding what’s funny. And I hope they take music and books [with them].”

On what she learned from her parents:

“They met people assuming the best, assuming they will love them and receive love from them. I think that’s a gift.”

“If you mess up, if you got out of shape, if you burned something, if you forgot to pick your kid up—which I did the other day—just say, ‘Whoops.” Get past beating yourself up as quickly as possible. It doesn’t help.” 

On where she finds her tribe:

“[I’ve] never been somebody who’s been at the center of a social group. The only place where I truly have a tribe is on set because I’ve worked with the same group of people for 25 years. And I’m just one of the cogs in the wheel. We roll onto a new production and we’re like, ‘What’s up?’”

On her approach to balance:

“You can’t live a balanced life day to day, but you can if you look at it through seasons.”

On choosing the right projects:

“I feel like the projects that are meant for me are the ones that come my way. So it’s usually pretty clear what I should lean into and what is not going to be best suited for me.” 

For more from Jennifer Garner, head to bhg.com.

She recently made a rare comment about her life amid the Ben Affleck divorce.

Posted To:Jennifer Garner Samuel Affleck Seraphina Affleck Violet Affleck