Jennifer Lopez gets candid about being a single mom as next chapter looms

Jennifer Lopez is opening up about motherhood and the journey she’s shared with her twins as they prepare for their next chapter.

While speaking with Entertainment Tonight at the opening night of her Up All Night Live in Las Vegas residency, the 56-year-old singer reflected on raising Max and Emme largely on her own and how that bond has shaped her outlook as they get ready to leave for college.

Lopez — who welcomed her now-17-year-old twins with ex-husband Marc Anthony in February 2008 — said she feels “really good” about them heading out into the world, even as the moment feels emotional. “I feel really good about it,” she said. “I'm like, [I] can't believe that we've gotten here, you know, just the three of us. It's, you know, been a journey for all three of us through this life [because] I was a single mom since they were 3 years old.”

The On the Floor hitmaker acknowledged that while people have come and gone, her core family unit has remained the same. “People have come in and out of my life, but it really has just been the three of us,” JLo continued. “And to see how they're kind of like thriving right now and the adults, like young adults that they're growing into, and they're so ready for their life. They're so ready to get out there and I remember what that felt like [at] 18.”

The proud mom added that she’s genuinely excited to watch them step into independence. “I'm so excited for that because I know that they have this like, home for them to come home to that is solid and will be solid for them for the rest of their life, and they know that, even more importantly,” she said. “So they have that love and they can go out and do whatever they want.”