Jennifer Garner Got Teary-Eyed About How "Depressing" Quarantine Is For Kids

Ever since the pandemic hit the country fully back in March, there have been plenty of Instagram posts from celebrity parents about all of those at-home struggles. Like the chaos of remote learning, trying to deal with being a 24/7 parent, and just worrying about the future. But in a recent Instagram Live video, mom of three Jennifer Garner got emotional talking about how her kids are doing during the quarantine in a different way. The actress opened up about how "depressing" all of this might be for her children and how she worries about how kids coping with the "heaviness" of the world right now.

On Tuesday, Garner — who shares 14-year-old daughter Violet, 11-year-old daughter Seraphina, and 8-year-old son Samuel with ex-husband Ben Affleck — admitted during a chat with Dr. Chelsea Jackson Roberts, a yoga and meditation instructor, that she is one of the "lucky" ones to have a whole lot of comfort during the pandemic.

"Well, I mean I feel so lucky," Garner said during her Instagram Live with Roberts. "I've been in the luckiest possible circumstance. I have a roof, I have food, I have health and so does my family. So I have no complaints."

Still, she got teary-eyed when she started to talk about how the pandemic may be affecting her kids. "I'm really thinking about my kids. And what their experience is going to be," she said.

The mom of three continued to list all of the ways her kids are, in fact, very fortunate. "We have broadband. So many kids in rural America don't have broadband. We have excellent teachers who can teach over Zoom that is a one in a million possibility in this world," she said, "and yet, it's also a depressing one."

After acknowledging the ways her kids were lucky, she also admitted that she worries about how they will transition. "What is this year full of transitions going to look like for kids, for my family, how can I keep joy in learning for them? Or help them just continue to find their resilience? And I think that's where I am today," Garner told Roberts in the video.

After taking off her glasses to wipe away her tears, Garner went on to say, "I think it's easy to also focus on how lucky you are, and that is true and I do and I am, but you have to also let the other stuff be there at the same time. It has to co-exist. It is heavy, it's heavy for everyone. How do kids in this world it's not just live in all this heaviness?"

This isn't the first time Garner has opened up about how she and her kids are coping during the pandemic. In June, she sat down for an interview with Ellen DeGeneres and told the talk show host that while everyone is "really good," they've had their "moments."

"We have our moments of course, but I think they really get the call to action of staying put and working hard to keep your chins up," Garner told DeGeneres. They're cleaning the house and helping out and they've been really good."

Of course, that was a month ago. Life has gone on and also it hasn't gone on. It's not terribly surprising that all parents, even celebrities, have moments when they struggle and aren't sure what exactly the future holds.

If you think you’re showing symptoms of coronavirus, which include fever, shortness of breath, and cough, call your doctor before going to get tested. If you’re anxious about the virus’s spread in your community, visit the CDC for up-to-date information and resources, or seek out mental health support. You can find all of Romper’s parents + coronavirus coverage here.