Eva Mendes Reveals She Asks Herself 'Who Am I' as Her Daughters Have Gotten Older: 'I Felt Lost'

Mendes shares her daughters Esmeralda Amada and Amada Lee with longtime partner Ryan Gosling

When she became a mother, Eva Mendes went through a variety of emotions — including wondering who she was.

Appearing on The Drew Barrymore Show on Thursday, Sept. 19, the actress and author, 50, spoke with Drew Barrymore about their feelings since becoming mothers. Mendes is mom to daughters Esmeralda Amada, 10, and Amada Lee, 8, whom she shares with partner Ryan Gosling, while Barrymore is mom to daughters Olive, 11, and Frankie, 10, whom she shares with ex-husband Will Kopelman.

"I felt a little lost when I had kids, in the sense where I was like, I don't really know how to do that job and be other people. What was it for you, may I ask?" Barrymore asks Mendes.

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Related: Eva Mendes Says She's a 'Grateful Mama' That Media Chose Not to Show Her Daughters' Faces at 2024 Olympics

Related: Eva Mendes Reveals the One Thing She 'Cannot Leave the House Without' as a Mom of 2: 'It's All They Want!'

"Yeah, I felt, I actually didn't feel lost. I felt very clear but then I felt lost, if that makes sense," Mendes shares. "Then when it was like the cliche of, ok well, who am I now after the kids can survive on their own?"

"I mean, they're only 8 and 10, but you know what I mean? They don't need me every second, it's a little different. But I love talking to my girls about anything so I feel very fulfilled," adds Mendes.

Earlier in August, Mendes revealed on Instagram the one item she can't leave the house without: stuffed animals. As a mom to her two daughters, Mendes said, "It’s all they want!"

Posting two pictures of herself wearing an oversized pair of purple sunglasses and a large tote bag, the mom of two wrote, "Mami Life. I’m officially in the Stuffy Era. Where I cannot leave the house without at least two of them in my big Mami bag."

Her carousel also included a quick clip of her dumping out her "mami bag" to show her essentials, including baby wipes, colored pencils, a coloring book, and, of course, multiple stuffed animals.

"Are there others like me?" she asked in her caption. "When does this phase end? They’re everywhere! It’s all they want! ??!"

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