Jennifer Garner says she “lost part of herself” when she became a mom

Jennifer Garner covers the January issue of InStyle Magazine, and she promoting her role in the smaller, independent film Butter. That’s the film about competitive butter-carving, and Garner produced the film as well. In addition to talking about that film, she’s also talking a lot about her family. Not just the kids, but her husband too, which is a rare thing. Well… let me say it this way – Jennifer will often say something about Ben in her interviews, but Ben rarely says anything about her. Usually Jennifer shows a little caution when discussing her husband, but I think she feels like she and Ben are in a better place right now, because this is the most gushy as I’ve ever seen her. They’ve been together for seven years now, and she’s pregnant with their third kid. Maybe Jennifer feels like they’re already passed the rough phase of their marriage?

The secret to her 7-year-marriage to Ben Affleck: “We both know we couldn’t do what we do without each other. Ben always says, ‘If you love it, we can make it happen.’ ”

Affleck gives her diamonds: Affleck, 39, enjoys showering his wife with diamonds. He gave her a pair of pink and white diamond Harry Winston bands, one for each of their two daughters, Violet, 6, and Seraphina, who turns 3 next month. “He knows when to swoop in with the gesture. He’s sweet that way,” Garner says. “Honestly, I would do anything for that man, because I know it’s not taken for granted.”

Pregnancy at age 39: “A game changer.” Garner admitted to having a difficult first trimester, complete with nausea, exhaustion and junk-food cravings. “I wish I was one of those cute pregnant girls who wear skinny jeans throughout their pregnancies. But I just gain weight. I’m trying really hard to be mindful, but when I’m making the kids mac and cheese, I want it badly.”

Not giving her kids junk food: “My kids had never seen Doritos before. They would say, ‘Mom, where did you get that orange chip? I really want that.'”

On somebody she’d like to meet: “During my second pregnancy I loved listening to the cellist Yo-Yo Ma. I’ve thought about contacting him, but I’ve never had the nerve.”

On loving her current state of life: “I’m not as myopic as I used to be. During those Alias years I worked 362 days a year. It was great, but I wouldn’t trade my life now for anything.”

On the joys of being a producer: “Being a producer has helped me find the part of myself that has a voice. I’m not just the good girl who’s handed a script.”

On her Butter character: “I identified with her loss of identity,” she says of her character. “You identify with your career then become a mom and put everything you have into the happiness of those kids. And though I wouldn’t change it for anything, you lose part of yourself.”

[From People, Celebrity Gossip & InStyle]

It’s surprising that Garner even admits that she’s “lost” part of herself in motherhood, considering Garner is usually all about being Mother Superior, even going out of her way to say that “there’s no deeper want” for a woman than to be a mom. The junk food stuff could have gotten in Goop territory, but Garner saved it by admitting that she too succumbs to cravings.

But really, the most interesting stuff is the Ben Affleck stuff. He buys her diamonds? He buys her PINK diamonds. He also bought Jennifer Lopez a pink diamond… I’m just sayin’. And Ben says stuff like “If you love it, we can make it happen.” ???? Amazing. Hopefully, Ben and Jen really have turned a corner and their marriage is super-strong right now. Fingers crossed.

InStyle photos courtesy of Celebrity Gossip.

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99 Responses to “Jennifer Garner says she “lost part of herself” when she became a mom”

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  1. brin says:

    I hope so, too because I like them together and it would be refreshing if a celebrity couple stayed committed to their marriage.
    She looks great, too.

  2. Cherry says:

    That cover pic is awful. She doesn’t even look like herself.

  3. Gwen says:

    I’m usually not a big fan of her but she looks good here and I like the interview too. I hope she and Ben will make it work.

  4. becky says:

    this is the first time she doesn’t come off completely insufferable

    when i log on and i click on jen garner post first, you know its a slow day

    can i get my linnocent post before i start jonesing now please?

  5. Mr. StinkyFishFace says:

    I think all women lose themselves a bit when they become second to their child’s needs. I’m really glad she admits that not all women look like they swallowed a basketball during pregnancy!

    • islandgirl says:

      I agree. Everything I do now is for my daughter and I won’t have it any other way

      • DarkAbyss says:

        Oh c’mon that’s not healthy and why so many men grow up treating other women like shit and disliking them because they secretly are mad at mommy, who wants to be put on a pedastal. You can’t live through your children, you have to have your own life too.

  6. Lizzie says:

    Jennifer Garner is why I never want kids. Garner and that 13 year old from US X factor who had a temper tantrum on stage.

    • Yasmine says:

      Hahahaha. I second that, seriously.

    • TG says:

      A lot of that is parenting. That 13 year old brat behaves that way because her parents allow that behavior and I think it was planned that way to get her attention. It seems negative attention can lead to fame and success better than the old-fashioned way of hard work and not selling your soul to the devil. I don’t watch that show, but was subjected to the highlights on E News. Which, I don’t watch much of since all they report on is stupid TV shows.

  7. TrollyDolly says:

    Jaysus, the difference between reading her interview and one with Katie “amazing” Holmes.

  8. Pat says:

    While I do agree that Ben hardly ever mentions Jen in interviews I do recall an interview he did with Entertainment Weekly back when he was promoting The Town and he was surprisingly candid and gushy with his comments about Jen. He does not talk about his kids though at all, I think he is very cautious about that although I have seen him talk about his family on Jay Leno’s show and Ellen’s show. I guess if the environment is right and he’s comfortable he is a bit more open, cautious but open.

  9. Tapioca says:

    She looks great in the navy dress. Everything else is a bit “Memaw”.

    I want to believe her [about her marriage], but I can’t help thinking she lives by the “Vanessa Bryant Philosophy” – turn a blind eye and diamonds will make it all better.

    Whatever floats her boat though, I guess…

  10. mln76 says:

    Well SHE has always been committed so they are half way there. Ben seems to be behaving I wish them well .

  11. TheOriginalKitten says:

    I just googled “competitive butter carving”-pretty impressive stuff!

    • oh dear says:

      lol you just made me google it!
      impressive i agree, but who comes up with this stuff? lol

      • TheOriginalKitten says:

        Ha ha.. I know. Let’s hope they’re not using organic butter-that stuff is like $6 a pack! Definitely not the cheapest materials a sculptor could choose 🙂

  12. Mara says:

    I really like her she is very pretty

  13. Rhiley says:

    I thought the same thing about the pink diamonds remark. Actually, I thought, “Hmmm, I wonder if Ben had those laying around after he broke with Jennifer Lopez.” I know he didn’t, but I don’t think it is very romantic to buy one Jennifer very similiar diamonds from the same jeweler from whom you bought very similiar diamonds for another Jennifer. An aside, JG looks super cute in the top pic, but the dress is super fug (with a cute cut).

  14. oh dear says:

    her family is really cute, those daughters are just precious, i hope the little boy is gonna be über cute too 🙂 such a sweet family, i hope they last! 🙂

  15. Paloma says:

    Interesting perspective regarding marriage being in a better place right now. I thought, too, she went through a period of maybe things not being so good. To me, she looked very sad in the candid pictures that were published.

  16. NotaBitterBetty says:

    I remember when she was being touted to be the next big superstar, the next Julia Roberts, yadda yadda yadda. But after Alias, her career just sort of tailed off. If it wasn’t for her marriage, I don’t think she’d warrant any kind of attention at this stage. Funny that, must be a ‘Jennifer’ thing.

    • Beatrix says:

      Funny, I think it would be kind of the opposite because she was so spectacular in Alias and after marrying Ben, I think her potential kind of vanished.

  17. just a patsy says:

    I don’t care for Garner, but this lady knows how to make the motherhood angle work. Her girls are really precious; Adorable goofy little things.

    I have a three year old, and every time mommy has ANYTHING all she says is “Mommy what is that? I really want that.” She really wants everything! It makes it so hard to eat as I please, I’ve actually been eating healthier than ever before in my life because I don’t want my little girl eating potato chips and beer and calling that lunch (ah, college). And there we go, Garner and I have a momentary connection over our little ones and I dislike Garner a tad less. Motherhood works for Garner.

    • Scarlet Vixen says:

      @Just a patsy: I eat much healthier now that I have kids, too. I’m not a sweets person, but I LOVE junk food and hate veggies. But once my son started eating ‘big people’ food it was like, “Um…no more boxed mac ‘n’ cheese and doritos for dinner.” I not only lost the rest of my pregnancy weight, I lost an additional 15lbs I didn’t even know I wanted to lose. I still refuse to eat green beans, tho. 😉

      It’s hard to explain, but while you discover a new part of yourself when you have kids, you can miss your pre-kid life and persona, too. My husband and I sometimes look at our single friends and say, “Damn, we used to be so cool and now look at us.” I wouldn’t trade my kids for the world, and they really have made me a better person. But, I do miss being defined as something other than “mommy” once in awhile, too. And drinking whenever I want. I miss that, too.

      • Karen says:

        You may get a kick out of the new show “Up All Night” with Christina Applegate and Will Arnett. They play a married couple who were big-time partiers and socializers who find their lives very different now that they have a little girl. I think you will find some dramatized similarities to your before-kid life 🙂

    • the original bellaluna says:

      Nothing EVER tastes as good as what Mommy’s eating, even if it’s plain rice cakes.

      My toddler now eats rice cakes, because Mommy does.

  18. JYT says:

    I put her in the same category as Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy) & Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars), both of whom wonderfully portrayed two of the greatest female TV characters ever.

    Jennifer Garner was the awesome Sydney Bristow, and as such, she gets a free pass for life from me for most anything she says or does (short of committing murder, of course, though I might need to be convinced that the poor bastard didn’t have it coming).

    • GoodCapon says:

      Alias is great! Bradley Cooper was there too, it’s one of my “I knew about him before the rest of the world did” moments. Sad.

      • JYT says:

        One of my favorite Alias moments is Will’s high-pitched girly scream when he sees Sydney in action for the first time. I laughed for 5 minutes straight.

    • LeaR says:

      He only had himself to blame. If you’d have been there, if you’d have seen it, I betcha you would have done the same!

      • Minty says:

        “So I took the shotgun off the wall
        and I fired two warning shots…into his head.”

        “And then he ran into my knife.
        He ran into my knife ten times!”

        Thank you, LeaR, for the Chicago reference. I love that musical!

    • Beatrix says:

      I always take any opportunity I can to express how much I sometimes miss Sydney Bristow when Jen is promoting anything

    • Jess says:

      I feel the same way about all three women (and Lauren Graham – because of Gilmore Girls)! I’ll love them all for life, even if some of Garner’s sound bites get on my nerves.

      • lucy2 says:

        Agree! I loved those 4 characters, and by default will always have a soft spot for the actresses who brought them to life.

  19. GoodCapon says:

    Intense photoshopping skills on the cover there!

    She’s still pretty though.

  20. Dani says:

    Jen looks good there. I hope that she and Ben last.

  21. Julie says:

    I like her but sometimes she just too wholesome for me. The pic doesn’t even resemble her….more like Selena Gomez. I do hope they got over their issues, her and Ben, but I am skeptical because I think his issues are much deeper rooted and don’t really go away completely. They just get activated more at times. If they do work through them great….if she is just another one of these J. Biels who puts up with anything from her man, it’s pitiful.

  22. pebbles says:

    soooooooo……..
    she’s stuffing her face with Doritos, and won’t let her daughter even try one?

    insufferable……

    • jc126 says:

      I don’t blame her for that, in fact. The longer you can keep young kids away from junk, the better.

      • Dana M says:

        ITA. The early years are the formative years. I try my best to keep junk food away too. The longer my kids can stay away from it, the better. But at some point, I know they will be Introduced to it.

        On that note, I craved mcdonald’s big macs and cheese burgers during all my pregnancies!

    • Anna says:

      Where in that quote did she say she didn’t give her daughter some doritos when she saw her with it? She said they hadn’t seen Doritos before she started craving it. I can’t imagine her eating in front of her children and not giving them a taste. Come on.

    • Tiffany says:

      You are reading what isn’t there, sweetie.

  23. Esmom says:

    She looks great in all the shots except the cover, ick.

    I hear her on losing a bit of her identity, it’s easy to do when you’re consumed by kids. I find I have to make a conscious effort to pursue things that are just my own. Not just for me but to model for my kids that I am more than just “mom.” She has her career still, which is good as long as she can keep the balance going. So far she seems to be doing it.

    As for her quotes, “We both know we couldn’t do what we do without each other.” And “Honestly, I would do anything for that man, because I know it’s not taken for granted.” Those sound gushy first but upon reflection they actually sound kind of cautious and guarded to me. Odd.

    Yes I know I have too much time on my hands today! 🙂

    • DarkAbyss says:

      I agree you have to keep your identity.. So many women put it all into their kids then are wiped out when they are teenagers reclaiming their lives, because they don’t have anything of their own to fall back on.

  24. NM9005 says:

    Garner is so sweet and beautiful but gullible. I would tell Affleck to keep the diamonds and keep his peen in the marriage. That’s more worth than any materialistic gift. As for “making it happen”, she’s just tolerating his cheating ways (well, she does adore him) and he complies to it because he knows he can’t save face when he leaves his minivan popular wife with three children.

    • Pat says:

      Wow, worship Lainey much?! Damn you sound like Lainey from Laineygossip’s blog, almost verbatim. Truth is nobody knows what goes on in these people’s lives, including Lainey. You have heard that Lainey makes things up right?

      • Leigh says:

        Lainey gets creative and definitely theorizes about celebrities! She’s wildly entertaining though!! But some people do forget, its just HER OPINION.. Like above us.. Did you copy and paste this??

      • NM9005 says:

        Yes, I do read Lainey a lot but I can form an opinion on my own based on the various outlets of the past and present about his less than endearing behaviour. And I would hardly call reading a blog, worshipping. I don’t know how you can draw such extreme feelings out of my comment.

        He’s not a family man and never tried to project that image. By all accounts, Garner is the one who projects that image and he tags along. I do think he loves her to some extent and that he is a decent guy in general but I don’t think he can change from an alcoholic gambling cheater who loves strippers to a doting family man just because Garner gave him babies. It doesn’t work that way and I believe it’s wishful thinking for women who think they can “change” a man. Garner just loves him for who he is, obviously and I don’t dislike her for that but do find her naive.

        He cheated on Lopez, probably Paltrow:

        http://articles.famouswhy.com/ben_affleck_ditched_by_gwyneth_paltrow_/,

        Garner (definitely Lively (check their flirty interiew and pics online + the black eye 🙂 ). As you said, we don’t know the real truth but I think
        it’s safe to assume he’s not an ideal partner (in my opinion). I think he just does it more low key now to “respect” his wife and family.

        I have heard that yes, but as I said, it’s not like she’s the only one to report it so I think where there is smoke, there’s fire.

        EDIT:

        @Leigh: are you talking to me about the copying and pasting? If yes, then no I did not but thank you for the compliment as I consider Lainey to be a good and intelligent woman and writer and I find my comments sometimes poorly written…And I agree on the entertaining part.

    • Madison says:

      Well said. She must have a pretty big diamond collection after all these years with him, me I’d tell him to shove the diamonds where the sun don’t shine.

      Covers not a very good picture of her and she looks like melissa gilbert in some of those shots.

  25. Phoenix says:

    How is that NOT Rachel McAdams on the cover? Creepy!

  26. Kelly says:

    She “lost part of herself”… the part of herself that knows how to dress? If that’s the case, I really hope she gets it back someday, LOL!

  27. Miranda says:

    I think she is obnoxious and tries so hard to come across as smart but in a weird way she is elitist. Just look at this:

    http://youtu.be/q51ld-scMI8

    Conan DID go to Harvard but he knows the school he went to doesn’t define him. If it was Jennifer she would be dropping that knowledge all over the place. Of course she thinks Ben Affleck is a catch! Ick.

    • NM9005 says:

      Hahaha, Conan’s laugh in the end was hilarious :D! Thanks for the link!

      Garner’s reaction is funny too. I don’t find her obnoxious though :).

    • inthekitchen says:

      Ahahahahahaha – that clip is really hilarious.

      I agree that she is pompous and tries too hard. I find her to be a complete airhead and a bad actor. I never watched more than a couple of Alias episodes so maybe she’s an acting powerhouse there, but in every movie I’ve ever seen with her, she’s terrible.

      And…sorry to be a total grinch but I don’t even think her kids are cute, so she doesn’t even get the “producing cute kids award” IMO. They look just like her – fugly with tiny little eyes. Yes, I know I’m going to hell for snarking on children.

      • whatevs says:

        never seen her kids but boy she does look fugly even with all the make-up, dress, hair and everything she has on in that clip.

    • whatevs says:

      hahaha english isn’t my 1st language and even i know that! no i didn’t go to harvard 😀 love how conan owned her in the end, and that hilarious laugh, and her face! 😀 😀

  28. Cerulean says:

    I know people who have been around her and worked with her. She’s a major Btch. On several different occasions and situations. She always looked roided up on Alias. Never found her attractive. Her schlumpy mommy wear is a yawn.

    • Paloma says:

      I wish more people would comment if they knew something about the real person. I knew a person whose cousin worked behind the scenes. He said, via cousin, that Matthew Perry is very nice and decent and Amanda Peet was very, very not nice.

    • NM9005 says:

      Really?! I wouldn’t have thought that from her. She hides the bitch well!

    • Tiffany says:

      I have heard just the opposite from people that have worked with her. Sources can be biased as well, it is best to take them all with a grain of salt.

      • NM9005 says:

        Or maybe she’s not a one-dimensional person? Everybody has his/hers “off” days. You can’t be smiley all the time.

        I can see how working on a set (or working in a demanding job in general)can be stressful sometimes(whether you’re an actor or a light technician) and when somebody “catches” you on you’re off day and tells everybody you’re a major bitch all the time, I can see how things can get misinterpreted. I just don’t see her as a snarly c* all the time but don’t thinks she’s miss Sweetie Pie all the time either. It’s like with Bullock, you can’t be happy yappie all time.

    • OXA says:

      I know people who have worked with her and said it was a great experience. They said she is a hard worker who is prepared, knows her lines, fun to be around with with no Diva attitude.
      I do not care how she dresses cuz she is a hands on mom doing a great job raising 2 happy adorable little girls. Her girls do not spit at photographers throw tantrums or have a nasty attitudea.

  29. Alili says:

    Wow, the power of Photoshop is unbelievable !!!

    On the cover she looks like Rachel McAdams, on the first picture she looks a lot like Jennifer Carpenter, and on the last one I thought it was Pippa Middleton ! Maybe it’s the heavy eyeliner though…

    Too bad because the actual Jennifer Garner looks great too !

  30. P.J. says:

    Garner is one of the few actresses who has the guts to be photographed without makeup, and she really does look good without it!

    I think Ben is more stable now than when he was young and single. He settled down, got married, had three kids, and is still friends with his grade school BFF (Matt Damon.) Sounds like JLo taught him well about women and jewelry.

    The NYTimes had a story earlier this week saying that spouses who consider their partners to be generous are significantly happier than if they are married to someone who is not generous.

  31. Jayna says:

    Dear God, she’s right. I have sat at neighborhood parties, and all the wives talk about are their kids and shopping. Eyes glaze over. I adore my family and being a mom is amazing (I love love love my daughter. She is my absolute joy. Her sweetness brings tears to my eyes) But I have kept interests and friends that are diverse and still am crazy about my husband and I still focus on him, also. I don’t want him to just see me as a mom and lose what we had before parenthood. My one friend went to a girls lunch. None of them worked and acted superior to her. She is a pilot and a mother. She told me she was bored stiff by their limited interests – bragging on their children, working out, gossiping. I never want to lose myself into being that boring suburban mom cliche. When your children are gone what do you have?

    • NM9005 says:

      *nods vigourously*
      I don’t have children but if I would chose to be a mother, your approach/views is the way that I see motherhood too.

      I’ve always seen myself as a person who’s interested in so many things that I can’t see myself exclusively as a mother and partner when the time is right. I belong to me and I need to fulfill my needs too without being cut-eyed by people who only live for others. How can you grow and know yourself as a person? Life is about challenge. As you said: after the children are gone, what else is left?

      Btw, not trying to cut-eye housewifes now :).

      • Jayna says:

        I have seen so many people divorced that I kind of learned by watching. My older sister loved being a stay at home mom, but regrets not keeping in touch with different types of friends and retaining her hobbies, interests, etc, instead pouring herself in her love for her kids so much (just okay marriage). Her boys hit their teens and it was more about sucking the life out of her in those trying years, an unappreciative husband She still had her tween who was a joy. But it made her realize she had let the rest of her life go and all it was was doing, doing, doing for everyone else.

      • NM9005 says:

        Uhu true, it happens so often…

        I see it too with people who are not even married and/or with children (because I’m young and don’t have the adult version of these stories 🙂 )! They just give their time, energy and attention to their partners and totally forget about their social life or don’t even bother to contact their friends to keep in touch. Then when it’s over, they come running to you again for a substitute of love and demand your attention as they whine about the failed relationship and want to hang out with you again “just like before” because they realise their life is empty. It’s so sad.

    • LeeLoo says:

      Jayna, You are the mother I want to be when I have kids! I think it is super important for everyone to be their own person in their relationships with their spouse and kids. I think it is extremely important for kids to understand that their parents have a personal life outside of the kids. My best friend was much like your sister but she recently decided to go back to work and make her own money to do things for herself. She said it was a liberatibg experience and since she has found time for herself she feels like a better parent and she can have a better relationship with her children and her husband is more appreciative of having her around to do things (he also pitches in more).

      In the end, I think you and your pilot friend are honest with yourselves and what your needs are. I’m sure many on here may call you selfish for recognizing your own needs but I think it’s the healthiest example you can give your children.

    • whatevs says:

      furthermore, what will your kids aspire to if all you care about is them and work out/trivia? who will they look up to, if you don’t keep on learning, have interests, you know, be a progressive interesting and decent human being?

    • Carolyn says:

      Yes – a lot of the mums at my daughter’s school are like that. their days are filled with working out, coffee, lunch and a lot of gossiping. Boring!! They think the sun shines out of their children’s behinds yet they resent having to look after then when the school day finishes. I’m glad I work fulltime and will be encouraging my daughter to do the same so that she’s a more interesting, well-grounded person.

  32. the original bellaluna says:

    You DO lose a part of yourself when you become a mother. A BIG part: the selfish part.

    You also lose the ability to sleep in (or sleep in general); shower/bathe when you want; have sex when, and where, you want; watch what you want on TV; say bad words; and generally behave however you want.

    But I gained so much more! (Notice I said “I,” so don’t attack me for telling MY truth.) I cannot imagine my life without any of my children. (Again, I said “I” so no attacking, please.)

    And I want that sweater.

    *scrolls back up to read the comments*

    • TheOriginalKitten says:

      Actually you said “*YOU* (you as a pronoun, referring to *us*) do lose a part of yourself-the selfish part”. The implication being that if you don’t have kids, you are somehow selfish. I don’t have any problem with what you said-it’s just your opinion but OWN it. And *I* respectfully disagree with you-in fact, my best friend (childless) lives with her dying, ailing mother and takes care of her 24/7. She’s sacrificed her social/love life as well as the ability to work. She is actually the epitomy of SELFLESSNESS. And as stated in numerous comments above, there are plenty of people who are childless who devote their lives to helping others and giving back to the community. I’m happy to hear that having children made you a better person (I genuinely mean this, no sarcasm here) but I think it’s not fair (or accurate) to imply that by reproducing, people suddenly become entirely selfless individuals. We know this is not the case (see Ex: Dina Lohan).

      • 6 says:

        Wow! I didn’t get that at all. I think she did own it. If anything, I think her point came across that it FORCES you to be unselfish. Unless you can walk away or have to make the choice to walk away, you are responsible for another life. Deciding not to have kids doesn’t make you selfish nor is your life meaningless but having another life that is totally dependent on you changes the way you live your life which is what the original poster was trying to say. My life wasn’t meaningless before having my daughter nor is it obnoxious and full of snot. It is just different and that to me is what life is-evolving.

      • 2cents says:

        Said like a woman who has no children and is VERY defensive of that fact.

      • TheOriginalKitten says:

        2 cents-are you talking about me? I don’t have children (yet) but I’m not defensive at ALL about it. I’m only 30,I am married with a GREAT job and plan on having children in the near future. I just disagree with the idea that it is a “selfless” act, that’s all. I think biologically (try reading a book about the evolution of human civilzation) it is actually pretty selfish in the sense that the act of reproducing was originally done out of necessity-to provide more farm-hands (putting children to work) and eventually so that the young people could care for the elderly (who so “selflessly” gave birth to them). The basic idea of birthing other humans is to “carry on” one’s seed/gene pool. How is that NOT selfish on some levels?
        2cents-do you have kids? If you do, I’m sorry to see that they evidently DID NOT make you a better person-because you still sound pretty bitter and unhappy to me. Hopefully you don’t pass this judgmental attitude on to your children.

        @LeeLoo-“People who are selfish will continue to be selfish whether or not they have kids. People will continue to be kind and selfless whether or not they have kids.”

        EXACTLY my point 🙂

      • 2cents says:

        This is precisely what I thought was the case with your viewpoint. You know a little about a lot, but not a lot about a little, and your dangerous with it. You don’t know anything about the love of a mother for a child. You very foolishly believe that reading a few books makes you knowledgable on something so sacred and pure. Do you really think I just was lucky in guessing that you don’t have a child? You drip of judgement and ignorance. I mean, I wrote one sentence and you guess that I am bitter and unhappy. Sounds like judgement to me. Argue if you like, if it will make you feel better or vindicated. It is what it is. The day you hold your first baby in your arms (adopted or not since the love of a mother for her child has absolutely nothing to do with blood lines though you appear to think it does) and realize that you would do anything, absolutely anything to protect that child you will realize that what Bellaluna was saying what that a part of you dies when you have a child. It is the part of you that would do anything to live anything to survive. Because now, you will die without thinking for that child. Her comment was in no way a dig at women without children, it was a statement of fact. You won’t understand that until you have a child. Some of the most selfless people in the world, Mother Teresa, Ghandi, do not know the love of a mother for her child. In no way does being a mother make you better, just different. Life has new meaning with the introduction of a child, and that new meaning is them, and no longer “me”. Argue with that if you like, as I said. I don’t think you are unintelligent, or shallow, or any of those things, you simply are ignorant of the love a mother has for her child. But as you said, you won’t always be, you want children and if you defend them the same way you defend your beliefs, your destined to be a great mother.

    • whatevs says:

      i’m not a selfish person at all and have always striven to give to the ones i love, and worked for the ideals that i believe in. however i just don’t want kids. it’s not only selfishness. sometimes you do know it’s not for you and you don’t want to have babies and then neglect them because you have so much of other things to do. then again these actresses have a bunch of children and place them at the mercy of staff, nannies and such. if i had a baby i would hire a nanny for necessary times but i would make most of my time their time. so which is really selfish? not caring but procreating anyway to snatch your husband/keep the progeny a la jennifer garner, or knowing that it’s not your top priority and deciding to not have kids because you do realize they would deserve the best of everything if you did have them?

      • LeeLoo says:

        Hear! Hear! In my time I have met many selfish parents anyways. Not everyone allows themselves to be forced to be an unselfish parent. I was recently on the bus coming home from school when a woman completely ignored her infant baby because gossiping on her cell phone was way more important than even so much as touching her child. There are just as many selfish people with children. People who are selfish will continue to be selfish whether or not they have kids. People will continue to be kind and selfless whether or not they have kids. What works for one person in raising their child will not work for others. I wish people were less self-rightous when it came to talking about their kids and personal life. That message goes for celebrities, some on this site (at times even I may be included in this category), and people in general. It sucks when blanket statements are made that diminish those who don’t fit a certain mold. I think it is something ALL of us need to watch.

  33. LeeLoo says:

    I am inclined to agree with you but for many women in Hollywood I think it is pretty standard to do things like that.

  34. riri says:

    She was never a good girl who was handed a script.

    She married, dated and traded men to get those scripts and chances.

    She got pregnant to get a man who wasn’t serious about her to marry her and keeps using her children for photo ops and her husband to get interviews and media coverage and attention.

    If Ben bought her something or said something nice to her- that is his private choice to do and HE is the one who should have brought it up if he wanted to share that private information with the rest of the world.

    She keeps using his name and his success, which is OK since he is an adult and can react and object if he wants to, but the worst part is what she is doing to her children to get her profile and picture taken.

    she is using them as part of her fake “family” brand.

    She is actually not a good girl at all, and could have been much more interesting and real had she owned up to it.

    • whatevs says:

      ikr and now she’s playing america’s sweetheart. give me a break. it’s just like that rachael ray woman i heard everybody hates her because she keeps advertising her marriage and playing america’s housewife, when the truth is that she used to date an extremely old guy to get a show on air.

    • LeeLoo says:

      I think Ben rebels against the family image she tries to set. Notice when she gets too into it is when you hear about him having sex with someone that is not Jen Garner. Besides, I think her relationship with Ben is a total karma’s a bitch for all the men she used to try and get ahead in Hollywood. I also think that’s why her career is over now. The Hollywood establishment was on to her and became less interested in her once they were on to how overt it was. Now she has to ride off the coattails of her husband and if they divorce, she will be nothing.

    • 2cents says:

      When did you meet her?

      • LeeLoo says:

        Seriously? Is it a crime to give an opinion and to speculate on her actions? If you don’t like people speculating on the personal lives of others then don’t read gossip websites.

  35. whatevs says:

    she and her hub are the most annoying actors ever and they formed the most annoying couple-along with her hub’s ex jlo of course, but the fact that she’s been reported to get pregnant to get him to marry her, and then just when he wanted to go back to jlo (you know he still wants her) she got pregnant again; and they are hoping for a boy this time blah blah babies are not husband snatchers! good grief. they’re all an annoyance there i said it

    and her sole identity seems to be “mommy” now as she gets no more roles with that great talent *ahem* and that mug, so every single second she has to say this annoying shit “omg i didn’t even exist before being a mom!!11 like, life totally exists to have children you gais” etc. quotes like that just turn you off and make you not want to have kids, ever. i’ll never want to lose part of myself. and no life is not meaningless before having kids jfc parents stop insulting non parents like that. i do exist and my life is meaningful and i don’t need a bunch of snotty, obnoxious kids to remind me of that thank you very much.

  36. sandy#1 says:

    i like jen and ben together, i hope they make it work, cute kids, i find her really good looking, wholesome.

  37. stephanie says:

    i think she looks cute.

  38. jensaional says:

    Wow, she looks really pretty in light blue AND when she has weight on her face. I always thought she was way too skinny but when she’s preggers and has that extra weight on, she’s drop dead gorgeous. Keep up the good eatin’, Jen!

  39. dh says:

    So.. She wont give her kids junk food like Doritos… yet she makes them Mac and cheese…

  40. Darlene says:

    I love her.