Reese Witherspoon poses for a photograph at an event. File

Gulf Today Report

It is said that children resemble their parents in a lot of ways. But the child does not have to be a chip off the old block. At least that’s what Reese Witherspoon seems to think. She claims that she doesn’t really notice how much she resembles her daughter, Ava Phillippe.

The 46-year-old actor discussed her relationship with her children during an appearance on Today with Hoda & Jenna. Witherspoon shares Ava, 23, and Deacon, 18, with ex-husband, Ryan Phillippe. She also shares her 10-year-old son, Tennessee, with husband Jim Toth.

During their conversation, Jenna Bush Hager described Witherspoon and Ava as “twins,” a comment that Hoda Kotb agreed with.

However, the Big Little Lies star didn’t necessarily feel the same way, responding: “You think so? You see it? [Ava] and I don’t see it that much.”

Witherspoon then opened up about raising her children, two of whom are now adults, and how she’s continued to “establish a different relationship” with each of them, according to the Independent.

“First of all, you’re managing them a lot when they’re little and it’s very physical,” she explained. “And then it’s more emotional support. And suggestions, not telling them what to do when they get a little bit older.”

She went on to emphasise the importance of maintaining a healthy bond with her children, adding: “But you have to really nurture your adult relationship with your children too. And give them respect and space to become who they are, not who you want them to be.”

Although Witherspoon claimed that she doesn’t look like Ava, this isn’t to say that she takes issue with them being mistaken for each other. During a conversation on CBS This Morning in November 2021, the actor said she “loves” when fans mistake her for Ava because it makes her feel “young.”