Jennifer Lopez Doesn’t Want to Raise Her Children Like Her Parents
Jennifer Lopez is a world-renowned singer and actor. However, at home, she is also a mom.
Lopez has given fans some glimpses into what she is like as a parent. Recently, she also explained why she does not want to raise her kids in the way her parents raised her.
How many children does Jennifer Lopez have?
Jennifer Lopez has twins named Max and Emme. She gave birth to them in 2008 when she was married to her ex-husband Marc Anthony. The couple separated in 2011 and officially divorced in 2014. Lopez has primary physical custody of Max and Emme.
During an interview with People after giving birth, Lopez explained the joyous feeling she had about motherhood.
“You hear people say this all the time, but it’s not until you experience it yourself that you can put it into your own words,” she said. “Your heart is connected to them. It feels like there’s a string from my chest to theirs.”
Lopez added, “Absolutely, [this is the happiest time of my life right now]. Having children is the biggest thing that can happen, I think, to a woman. You win an Oscar, get nominated for a Golden Globe — you know, whatever things you think are big — I can’t even think of anything that can match the actual miracle of giving birth and having your own child. It’s beyond anything you could ever imagine.”
Jennifer Lopez does not want to raise her kids like her parents raised her
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Lopez shared that she has thought about the way her own parents raised her and that she has decided to do things differently with her own children.
Lopez grew up in the Bronx with parents from Puerto Rico. She has said that she had a “strict” upbringing as a child. Her parents divorced in the 1990s, and Lopez has talked openly about how the event affected her.
“I don’t begrudge it,” she explained. “I really feel like [my mom] did the best she could. And when I think of it that way, it’s easier to get past the punishments and the spankings and things that happened. I don’t want to raise my kids in that way, but I understand.”
Lopez also shared that she had learned about how parents can affect a child’s relationships as an adult: “It’s not really even your first love that teaches you what love is. It’s your mother and your father, what you were taught as a child that life is and love is, through how your parents are with you. Those are the things that you have to go back and work on and examine, when you are having relationships and repeating patterns and going, ‘Oh, what is this happening for?’”
Jennifer Lopez changed some parts of her parenting style during the pandemic
Lopez has also learned to change her parenting style when the world calls for it. For example, during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Lopez revealed to Parents.com that she had learned to slow down and spend more time with her kids.
“I think we all felt we were doing great,” Lopez said. “You’re working hard, you’re doing everything you can for your family, and then, this quarantine happens, and you’re home, and you realize, ‘Wow, look at all the moments I was missing.’”
