What Jessica Alba Says When Her Kids Can't Find Something Will Make You Say "Yup, Done That"

Parenting is always an adventure and most parents really just wing it as they go. It's all you can really do, anyway. And that means that sometimes you can develop a bad habit here and there when it comes to child rearing. Like Jessica Alba, who has her own "bad parenting" habit with her kids, which she even admits has stuck around for longer than expected and might be a little crass.

Alba has three kids — her 5-month-old son Hayes Alba and her two daughters; 6-year-old Haven Garner and Honor Marie, who will be 10 years old next month — so she has a lot to juggle, aside from her busy work schedule. The Dark Angel star said that she doesn't pull any punches when she's running around in the morning and her kids can't find their socks or something.

She explained to People, "I have this terrible habit: Whenever my kids ask me to find something, they’re like, ‘Mom, where’s my …’ you know, backpack, toothbrush, whatever. And I just say, ‘Up your butt,’ and that’s probably bad parenting.” Alba added, "But they got to a certain age where I’m like, ‘That’s where it is: It’s up your butt.’" Hopefully, it's not, because a trip to the ER to remove a sneaker from their butt would be totally unnecessary. Still, she has no regrets.

Alba also really opened up about her insecurities when it came to raising her kids. She added in the same People interview:

There are always haters, and my goals are not small ones. I just want to live a full life and stay curious and challenge myself. I want my kids to see me push outside my comfort zone. And sometimes that means making mistakes and admitting them, which is especially hard in front of your kids.

She does have big goals, but making family a priority is also one of them. As Alba told People, she's happy with the work-life balance she's recently found since welcoming her son, Hayes, and she really "appreciate[s] the quieter moments."

If her life sounds totally perfect, please don't be fooled. As she recently admitted, she's telling her kids to look up their butts for their homework and just figuring things out like all parents, all the time. In an interview with Redbook earlier this year, Alba said that she just doesn't post the bad stuff on social media, as you can see from her sweet shots of her snuggling with baby Hayes and other adorable family moments. She explained to the publication, "I don’t have it together at all. I just don’t need to use social media as therapy and tell everyone, ‘Today I f---ed up as a mom.’ It’s none of your damn business." Which is totally fair, but she doesn't judge other moms who find that getting #TooReal on social media about their parenting makes them feel better. According to her interview with Redbook, Alba explained:

I’m fine if people want to air their dirty laundry online, but people know enough about me. I make mistakes all the time...and sometimes when I get together with my friends, we’ll reflect on how we’ve made similar good and bad decisions. It’s like, "Yeah, that was humbling." Then you move on and have a glass of wine

So the next time you accidentally let an f-bomb slip in front of your 6-year-old or forget to bring the baby wipes or something, don't feel overwhelmed with mom guilt or beat yourself up. Somewhere, Jessica Alba is probably out there yelling about a backpack or a missing sneaker being up her daughter's butt, too.