Jennifer Lopez details harsh conversation with kids that changed her parenting style

Jennifer Lopez revealed her twins, Max and Emme, confronted her about not being present in their lives as she navigated being a single mom following her divorce from Marc Anthony.

The “On the Floor” songstress’ eye-opening conversation with the now 17-year-olds occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she was able to “stay home” and be more present, she shared on Wednesday’s episode of the “Howard Stern Show.”

“They spoke to me, [and] they’re like, ‘You’re not a regular mom. You’re not here every day. You don’t drop us off and pick us up like the other [moms],’” she recalled, sharing that her kids were around the age of 10.

“And I realized how much they needed me there,” Lopez, 56, added.

The “Kiss of the Spider Woman” star explained that up until that point, she had been operating on “hyperdrive,” saying that she thought it was “all on [her]” to care for her kids when she and Anthony split in 2011 after seven years of marriage.

“They were used to me working,” she continued, explaining that she had a lot of help with raising her twins from loved ones and nannies.

“I think when the pandemic happened, I got to stay home, [and] I realized I need to be more home with them all the time,” Lopez stated.

“I realized how much they needed me there. It wasn’t just about me giving them a great life. It was about me being there for them all the time.”

The “Selena” star described the conversation with Emme and Max as a “wakeup call,” saying she’s learned how to turn down certain projects and now has the “best relationship” with them.

Lopez is often seen out with her children — either at dinner, Broadway shows or on the red carpet.

The hitmaker and Anthony, 57, started dating in September 2003 and tied the knot the following June.

The exes welcomed their kids in 2008 before announcing their separation three years later via a statement to People.

“This was a very difficult decision,” they wrote in July 2011. “We have come to an amicable conclusion on all matters. It is a painful time for all involved and we appreciate the respect of our privacy at this time.”

While Anthony is rarely seen out with Max and Emme, he gave insight into their relationship during an interview with E! News in March, saying, “If you learned anything after all these years, it’s whatever they want, whatever they say.”

The “Vivir Mi Vida” crooner also gushed that he had a “wonderful family.”

Aside from Max and Emme, Anthony is also the father to Arianna Muñiz, 31, and Chase Muñiz, 28, with ex Debbie Rosado, as well as Cristian Muñiz, 24, and Ryan Muñiz, 22, with ex Dayanara Torres.

Additionally, he shares a 2-year-old son, Marco, with his wife, Nadia Ferreirra, whom he wed in 2023.

Lopez, meanwhile, got remarried to Ben Affleck in 2022, but the “Gigli” co-stars called it quits two years later.