Reese Witherspoon on Raising 3 Kids: 'No One's Really Doing It Perfectly'

Witherspoon is opening up about doing her best as a parent.

Reese Witherspoon is keeping it real about parenting, and she's not judging!

The mother of three spoke to Southern Living magazine about being a working mother and how it's not exactly easy. 

"No one's really doing it perfectly," the Oscar winner said. "I think you love your kids with your whole heart, and you do the best you possibly can. But, you know, right now I'm feeling sad missing my little 2-year-old [Tennessee], and my daughter [Ava]'s about to finish her freshman year of high school, and my son [Deacon] has a golf tournament this weekend that I hope I don't miss."

Southern Living

PICS: Reese Witherspoon and Her Daughter Ava Take an Amazing Trip to Italy

However, the 39-year-old star admits, while challenging at times, she still manages to find the balance between acting and motherhood, and uses her own mom as an example.

WATCH: Reese Witherspoon's Daughter Looks Identical to Her 

"There are some sacrifices you make, and it hurts your heart sometimes, but my kids tell me they're proud of what I've accomplished, and that just means everything," she shared. "I grew up with a working mom, and I have so much respect for the things she did as a nurse and a teacher. I would never begrudge her that."

Southern Living

Witherspoon also spoke about the respect that she has for her late grandparents, Dorothea Draper and William James Witherpoon. In fact her lifestyle brand, Draper James, is named after them. "I was actually asked by several companies to just put my name on something, and I didn't feel like that was appropriate," she admitted. "I hope my grandparents know how much I looked up to them. I truly believe that they look down on me and guide me in this life."

PICS: Tennessee and Reese Witherspoon Are the Cutest! 

As for how she's guiding her children--Ava, 15, Deacon, 12, and Tennessee, 2— there's one lesson that has really stayed with her from her own childhood. "We had family dinner every night. That's a big thing I learned from my grandmother—to spend time with your kids and listen to their dreams," she said.

Not to mention, she teaches her kids some old-school values!

"I make them write letters. Every gift gets a note or a drawing," she explained. "It means so much when kids are appreciative." 

Check out the video below of Witherspoon when she was the same age as her daughter Ava. 

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