People.com Celebrity Parents Reese Witherspoon Says Her 3 Kids Don't Know 'How Much Space in My Brain They Take Up Every Day' "My first, most important priority is my kids," says Reese Witherspoon, who is mom to daughter Ava, 22, and sons Deacon, 18, and Tennessee, 9 By Benjamin VanHoose Benjamin VanHoose Twitter Benjamin VanHoose is an Associate Editor on the Movies team at PEOPLE. He's worked at PEOPLE for over three years as a writer and reporter across our Entertainment, Lifestyle and News teams, covering everything from the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard trial to the Oscars. He regularly covers red carpet events and has interviewed stars like Drew Barrymore, Ryan Reynolds and Kirsten Dunst. He previously worked as a copy editor at Topix Media Lab. People Editorial Guidelines Published on November 8, 2021 04:49 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Reese Witherspoon/Instagram Reese Witherspoon is a mom first and foremost. During a conversation with Gayle King for InStyle magazine's December/January 2022 cover story, the Morning Show actress, 45, opens up about motherhood and raising her three kids. Witherspoon shares daughter Ava, 22, and son Deacon, 18, with ex Ryan Phillippe, plus son Tennessee James, 9, with husband Jim Toth. "My first, most important priority is my kids. If I told you how much space in my brain they take up every day— do you even think they know, Gayle? I don't even think they know," she says. Witherspoon also discussed whether her kids plan to follow in her Hollywood footsteps. "It's an odd situation because I didn't grow up famous. So [Ava is] living an experience that I did not have, and so are my sons," she explains. "We are lucky enough to have friends who grew up in Hollywood and can help give them advice on how to navigate. Ava is so down-to-earth. She wants to do great things in the world. She's studying and learning and trying to find herself. It's a big thing in life to try different things and figure out what is really your path." Subscribe to our new 12-episode weekly podcast, Me Becoming Mom, to hear celebrity moms open up exclusively to PEOPLE about their extraordinary roads to motherhood. RELATED: Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe Celebrate Son Deacon's 18th Birthday Together: 'Bursting with Pride' Elsewhere in the interview, King asked Witherspoon what she is "most looking forward to as we start the new year." "More time with people I love," she shares. "I'm 45. I know who I want to spend time with and who I don't. And that is one of the great things about getting older — it just clears out so much space. I want to be with my mom, my kids, and the people who fill my tank. And everybody else, I wish them well." RELATED VIDEO: Reese Witherspoon Says Jennifer Aniston is 'One of the Funniest People' She Has Ever Met Witherspoon recently opened up about watching her children get older in Interview's Summer 2021 cover story. "That makes me want to cry, the idea of having a long relationship with adult children," she told Tracee Ellis Ross in June for the article. "I never expected the kind of relationship that I have with them, but it's so rewarding to be able to have kids that you can process life with a little bit, and they help me understand the complexities of what it means to be a human now," Witherspoon continued. "So I'm really, really grateful that these little humans are in my life."