Jennifer Garner Reveals a Major Parenting Secret With Seth Meyers: "It's Going to Suck"

The mom of three has had her fair share of experience with being a mom over the last decade

After a decade of parenting, Jennifer Garner has some top secret advice for moms and dads-to-be. 

With three kids of her own—Violet, 10, Seraphina, 7 and Samuel, 4—the 43-year-old Golden Globe winner has learned plenty of parenting lessons in her day. Fortunately, she's willing to share such wisdom with late-night host Seth Meyers, who is expecting his first child with wife Alexi Ashe. 

"Was there any advice you wish someone had given to you before you had your first?" he asked the star during Thursday night's episode. Garner happily obliged—but wasn't going to beat around the bush. 

"Everyone gives you so much advice," she began. "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."

That's right, Seth. Ultimately, no how-to guide is going to answer all of the never-ending questions your sure to face in parenthood.

  

"It doesn't matter. Let it go. Don't worry about it," she urged. "You're going to struggle. It's going to suck just like for everyone else." Way to break it to him gently, Jen. 

"Just know in your head this is all going to go to hell in a hand basket," she warned. 

All jokes aside, the actress, who separated from her husband of 10 years Ben Affleck last summer, continually juggles the evolving challenges of motherhood.

"The great thing about kids is the minute you show up in your own house, your kids don't care what you've been doing all day," Garner told E! News' Marc Malkin at the Miracles From Heaven premiere. "They just go, 'Hey, mom—she did this,' 'I want that' or 'Can we do this?' or 'Let's read this book,' so they force you to be in the present."