If you've been on social media recently, then you're aware of how hard it is for parents to navigate at-home learning [1], regardless of their little ones' ages. And while Jennifer Lopez is certainly grateful for the time she's been able to spend with her kids over the last few months, she can't wait for her children to head back to the classroom — just like the rest of us! We caught up with Jennifer to discuss her partnership with Yoplait for the Yoplaitime Challenge [2], a new activity that will debut on Instagram Reels beginning Sept. 29, which aims to get families moving while donating money to Feeding America [3].
"It's a lot," Jennifer told POPSUGAR regarding having the kids learn at home. "I think every mom is feeling that, and we had a little bit of a taste of it at the end of the school year, and now we're all kind of like, 'OK, this is how we're going to do [virtual learning].' We're kind of getting better at it, but the truth is, I think every mom is praying for the moment kids can go back to school."
Although Jennifer and her fiancé, Alex Rodriguez, are trying their best to adapt to their new routine just like the rest of us, they're loving spending more quality time with their four kiddos [5]: Emme, Max, Tashi, and Ella.
"[The] silver lining for Alex and me is that we've been travelling since we began working in our early 20s or our teen years, and we haven't stopped since," she said. "So that has been our life or our work forever. The slowdown of the pandemic kind of forced us to be at home and not do any travelling. [We've been] able to sit at home with our kids, which is a luxury we didn't have even a year ago. It was such a blessing to be with them and talk with them. I feel like we've always been a loving, close family. I've always been really close with my kids, but this was a whole different level that reminded me that I need more of this when I start working full-time again."
"They've all become little adults in front of my eyes over the past six to eight months."
Now, Jennifer is looking at her life with a fresh perspective. And while the COVID-19 pandemic has been incredibly hard on families across the country, she's realising that this uncertain time period has led her children to grow up right in front of her.
"[Time with the kids is something] I can't even sacrifice; this roots so many beautiful memories and so many beautiful moments that I can't ever sacrifice that for anything ever again," she explained. "It was a big learning curve for me. And I've got to tell you, since the Super Bowl in February, all of us have really grown up. I've seen the kids grow up in front of my eyes. I don't know, I think it's the hardship, it's going through something together, it's realising and opening your eyes. It's watching these kids realise what's going on in the world. They've all become little adults in front of my eyes over the past six to eight months."
Interested in doing the challenge with your family? Rest assured it's for a great cause! Yoplait will donate $1 to Feeding America [7] — up to a maximum of $300,000 — for every user who posts an Instagram Reels with the hashtag #YoplaitimeDonation and uses Jennifer's new song "Pa Ti" as the audio in their videos by Oct 30.