Jennifer Garner is looking back at her journey as a mom of 17-year-old Violet, 14-year-old Seraphina, and 11-year-old Samuel. The Hollywood star opened up about her co-parenting experience with ex-husband Ben Affleck, revealing that it was difficult at first but she is proud of how far they have come.

During her recent conversation with Sheryl Lee Ralph in Variety’s Actors on Actors series, the two stars talked about their previous relationships with their exes, and how they have managed to raise their kids while being in the spotlight.

“Both of us having gone through divorce,” Sheryl Lee said. “You did something that I did as well, and that was maintain as healthy a relationship with my ex for the health and well-being of my children. And with the spotlight on us all the time, sometimes that can be difficult.”

“All the mess of parenting. It’s a gift,” Jennifer said. “When I see you and your kids, I was like, ‘Girl, we did that,’“ Sheryl Lee added, to which Jennifer responded, ”We’re doing it!“”

The ‘Alias’ star previously said to Allure that she was “such a first-time mom. My eldest daughter didn’t have a shot. She couldn’t have a free thought – I was all over her. I was a nightmare for everyone around me.“

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“Your kids will really figure out who they are and what they are when they’re older, and most likely they will hew toward lovely. I have a lot of faith in my kids,” she explained to the publication. “I don’t love every behavior all the time, always. It’s gnarly growing up. We didn’t have the eyes on us that our kids have.”

And when it comes to her movies, she went on to say that their kids prefer to watch Ben’s, as they like seeing her as their mom. “They don’t mind watching their dad, but they kind of want me to be their mom,” she said. “They don’t want to see me upset and women cry more in what we do. And they don’t really want to see me in a romantic thing.”