Why Jennifer Lopez’s twins Emme and Max’s next milestone is tinged with sadness

The Jenny from the Block hitmaker shares her children with ex-husband Marc Anthony

Jennifer Lopez will soon be celebrating her beloved twins’ birthday, as Emme and Max turn 17 on February 22.

And while the doting mom will make sure they have a day to remember, the occasion is also set to be bittersweet for the teenagers.

That’s because it will the first year Emme and Max will be marking their big day without their stepfather, Ben Affleck, and his three children, Violet, 19, Fin, 16, and Samuel, 12.

JLo and Ben finalized their divorce in August after two years of marriage, and during this time, their children formed close bonds, particularly Emme and Fin.

They were already living separate lives before the filing, with JLo listing the official date of separation as April 26.

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Jennifer Lopez with her twins

While Jennifer and Ben are no longer a couple, they have made sure that their children still get to see each other. What’s more, JLo’s sister, Lynda Lopez, even paid a visit to Violet at university last year, posting a picture of them together in the grounds of Yale.

During their marriage, JLo was also on great terms with Ben’s ex Jennifer Garner too. She praised the 13 Going on 30 star in an interview with Vogue magazine, saying what a great co-parent she was.

She said: “[She is] an amazing co-parent, and they work really well together.” Jennifer has been helping her children get through her divorce over the past few months, and even got the twins a new kitten. She posted a reflective Instagram post back in August, titled: “Oh, it was a summer.”

Among the snapshots, which included candid ones of her family, was a sweet picture of Emme doting on their new pet.

The family then spent the holidays in Aspen, joined by JLo’s sister and her daughter, Lucie.

Despite her busy career, being a mom has always been JLo’s priority. While she tends to share less about her kids now that they are older, she recently gave a rare insight into her relationship with Emme and Max in a gushing tribute on Mother’s Day in May.

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Max is the image of his dad

She wrote: “Thank you for giving me the privilege and gift to be your mother. The most beautiful blessing of my life. Every day I wake up and think what I can do to be a better mother to you. I ask God to instinctually let me be able to feel what you need in every moment so I can guide you and love you in every way that I can, so I can show you by example what it is to be a loving, caring, conscious, good human to yourself and others.”

She continued: “Lulu and Max, I am here FOREVER to support you, encourage you, to remind you of your greatness of your goodness and your limitless capability. You. Can. Do. Anything. You are brilliant and beautiful and worthy of love and all the beautiful things in life. If you ever learn one thing from me, let it be that. I love you beyond forever…And ever… And ever…”