Jennifer Garner's brutally honest parenting advice is perfect

by

Carolyn Robertson

posted in Celebrities

When you're expecting your first child, it can seem like absolutely everyone has some words of wisdom to share.

People will practically line up to offer advice on pregnancy, breastfeeding, childbirth. When your baby arrives, it continues: This is how to get her to sleep, this is how to feed him, here's how you should hold her. On and on it goes.

As a mom of three, Jennifer Garner no doubt has learned some tried and true parenting tricks. Her only advice, though, is that it might be best to just skip the advice all together.

During a recent visit with late night host Seth Meyers, who is expecting baby #1 with his wife Alexi Ashe, Jennifer provided a bit of brutally honest, but totally spot-on, insight.

"Everyone gives you so much advice," the Miracles From Heaven star, who has kids Violet, 10, Seraphina, 7, and Samuel, 4, with her ex Ben Affleck, said. "There are a lot of 'experts' out there and as much as you think, 'I'm going to follow what this person says, I'm going to follow what that person says, I'm going to read this book and I'm going to have this birth plan' - it's not up to you, dude."

Rather than try to strive for perfection or figure it all out, Jennifer, 43, advised Seth to just accept the fact that parenthood is going to be hard. No matter what.

"It doesn't matter. Let it go. Don't worry about it," she said with a smile. "You're going to struggle. It's going to suck just like for everyone else. Just know in your head this is all going to go to hell in a hand basket."

A little harsh, perhaps, but I actually love this. No two kids are alike, so you're not likely to find a one-size-fits-all parenting strategy. What works for your friend's or neighbor's or sister-in-law's kid may very well backfire completely when you try it with your own.

And yes, it's hard. It's so hard sometimes! Despite your best intentions and thoughtful planning, there will be moments and days when it feels like nothing is going right. I think it helps just to know that, so when it happens we don't feel as though we're failing.

What do you think of Jennifer's advice?

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Photos: PR Photos, REX Features