Celebrity Parents Jennifer Garner Has the Same 'One Ask' Every Mother's Day 'Even Though It's Ridiculous at This Point' (Exclusive) The actress is mom to kids Violet, Seraphina and Samuel By Hannah Sacks Hannah Sacks Hannah Sacks is a writer/reporter for the Parents team at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since May 2023. Her work has previously appeared in The Toy Insider, The Toy Book, The Pop Insider, and Saratoga Living. People Editorial Guidelines and Ana Calderone Ana Calderone Ana Calderone is the Digital Food Editor at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2013. People Editorial Guidelines Published on April 22, 2024 04:00PM EDT Close Jennifer Garner. Photo: Andrew Toth/Deadline/Getty Jennifer Garner only wants one thing for Mother's Day. When the holiday rolls around every May, the actress, who is mom to kids Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12, whom she shares with ex Ben Affleck, tells PEOPLE she doesn't want much. "I have one ask, and it is that when my kids were really little, on some Mother's Day, they all sat on my lap one after the other all at once for a picture," Garner, 52, recalls while chatting with PEOPLE about the release of the new KitchenAid Espresso Collection. "And I want that picture every year, even though it's ridiculous at this point. They're so big. But I make them take it and they are just like, 'Mom.' But that's my ask." Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Jennifer Garner. Albert L. Ortega/Getty Jennifer Garner Says She Can 'See the Stress' as Daughter Violet Tours Colleges: 'Handling It Like a Champ' Earlier this month, the 13 Going on 30 alum appeared on an episode of the Dear Felicity podcast, which revisits the 1998 TV series 25 years after its premiere, and shared that her kids hadn't yet watched the series. "Nope. Not yet," Garner replied when asked if her kids had seen Felicity yet. "They're that age. They just have to discover it on their own. They have their own cues. They have their own ideas of what they want to see." "They would love it," the proud mom added. "They would love it." Jennifer Garner and daughter Violet. Nathan Howard/Getty In March, Garner shared with PEOPLE that her kids are giving her the most joy as she got ready to celebrate her 52nd birthday. "They're really solid right now," said the star and Neutrogena brand ambassador. "I'm just watching them in this new phase of life where they're figuring out who they're going to be and what they're going to study. And I'm so interested in them. All the time, I'm interested in everything about them." Asked if it's difficult to let her kids make their own decisions, Garner admitted it's "so hard." "I mean, my parents did too, and I'm so amazed by that. I have a really hard time not saying, 'This is what I see you as,' and 'I think you should,' " she said. "I really have to sit on my hands."