Eva Mendes happy she waited until her 40s to have kids, claims she was 'foul-mouthed and smoking' in her 20's

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Eva Mendes is opening up about her choice to become a mother later in life.

During a recent interview with People, Mendes called the assumption that it's better to have children at a younger age "asinine," explaining that was not the case for her.

"When I was 40, it was a big deal for people when I was pregnant, and it wasn't for me," she told the outlet. "And then I was 42, and I was pregnant with my second one and people were like, 'Oh my God, you're going to be so tired. That's why people have kids in their 20s.' I was like, that's the most sorry, asinine thing I've ever heard."

The actress shares daughters Esmeralda Amada, 9, and Amada Lee, 8, with Ryan Gosling.

Mendes is happy with her decision to wait until she was in her 40s to become a parent. (Tim Hunter/Newspix via Getty Images)

EVA MENDES SAYS SHE DIDN'T WANT BABIES UNTIL SHE MET RYAN GOSLING

She went on to explain, it takes a lot of patience to raise children, something she didn't have when she was in her 20s.

"In my 20s, I shouldn't have even been around a child. I was just foul-mouthed and smoking," she explained. "I could not have raised kids in any other era of my life but now, for sure."

Mendes told "The Today Show" in March 2024 she and Gosling had "a non-verbal agreement" she would retire from acting following the birth of their kids, calling the decision a "no-brainer."

She doubled down on her claims when speaking to People, calling it "the easiest decision I've ever made."

Mendes called stepping away from acting "the easiest decision" she had to make. (Adam Christopher /NBCUniversal/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

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"I was older, and I knew that my kids are going to be little once, and whatever I do or don't do right now is going to affect them the rest of their life," she said. "Your career comes and goes, but kids, yeah, that was easy for me. They're just formative years. I wanted to be there for all of it."

For Mendes, one of the most important parts of being a parent is recognizing everything "matters when you have two little people watching you all day long." She has learned to be careful how she speaks in front of her children, and always tries to make the best decisions possible.

"It's frightening, but it's good because it makes me try to be a better person every day," she said.

While Gosling and Mendes are very private about their relationship and their family, a source told People in March 2024, they decided to move their young children out of Los Angeles, in order to prevent them from growing up "around other celebrity kids."

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A source close to Mendes and Gosling shared that the couple moved out of Los Angeles with their kids. (Sonia Recchia/Getty Images)

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"For them, the most important job is their girls. Everything else comes second," the source explained. "And their girls are thriving. They left L.A. to live a bit further north, away from Hollywood. They didn't want the girls to grow up around other celebrity kids."