After getting engaged to Alex Rodriguez in March [1], Jennifer Lopez [2] is clearly on cloud nine. And while she was proud of her blended family [3] before, she recently got emotional after receiving a card [4] from Alex's 14-year-old daughter, Natasha. In an interview with Hoda Kotb for Today, the 50-year-old actress explained that she actually broke down in tears [5] on account of the sweet gesture.
"I got the most beautiful card from Alex's daughter, Tashi. And she told me it's an honour to be your stepdaughter. Again, I start crying," Jennifer told Hoda. "I just feel so blessed to have all of the dynamics that are going on in my life right now. You know, and first starting with, you know, creating a family that I've always wanted."
Jennifer shares her twins — 11-year-old Max and Emme — with ex-husband Marc Anthony [7], and Alex has two daughters — 14-year-old Natasha and 11-year-old Ella — with ex-wife Cynthia Scurtis. Although J Lo's latest film, Hustlers [8], is expected to smash the box office, she admitted she can't help but feel guilty when she's away from her children.
"The mom guilt is real. It's real," she said. "And, honestly, I just hate being away from them, even for a moment." Fortunately, Jennifer recognises that she's at a place in her career when she can say no. "I'm lucky to be at a point in my career where, yes, I can work a lot, but I also can go, 'I can't do that right now,' like I did last year."
According to Jennifer, her children have definitely taken notice. "Alex goes, 'Everybody say what they were grateful for' because the summer was coming to an end," she explained. "And Max goes, 'I'm grateful that Mommy took the Summer off to be with us.' I was like, 'Oh my god.' I wanted to die. I didn't think he was even thinking about it, you know what I mean? You realise how precious the time that you get to have with them because they grow up so fast."