In a chat with Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager on Today, Jennifer Garner shared her chill approach to parenting her three kids: Violet, 17, Seraphina, 14, and Samuel, 11.
She doesn’t follow a strict rulebook. Instead, she’s all about letting her kids be themselves. Garner loves hanging out with her cool kids, listening to their stories, but she’s okay with giving them space. She believes in what she calls “benign neglect,” which means it’s alright if they figure some things out on their own.
During the conversation, she talked about her fun “Pretend Cooking Show” on Instagram. When asked if she’s good at baking, she laughed and admitted she’s up for it, even if mistakes happen. To her, mistakes don’t spoil the fun—they often end up tasting just as good.
Hoda mentioned how this idea applies to parenting. Sometimes, her kids get upset if things don’t go perfectly, wanting to toss the paper away. Garner totally gets it, especially because she’s a mom to Haley, six, and Hope, four.
Although Jennifer’s been active on social media lately, her kids aren’t really into it. She has an 18-year-old soon, and while she’s cool with her kids being online, none of them are on TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook. That’s a win for her! She doesn’t push them into it and thinks maybe they’ll change their minds someday.
She revealed that her eldest, Violet, appreciates being offline the most. Garner’s just happy she’s got one kid who’s grateful for that. She’s taking it easy and letting her kids find their own path—one that doesn’t necessarily involve social media.
