Jennifer Garner’s Funny Photo Is Every Parent On The First Day Of School

The first day of school is always an emotional time for parents. After all, it means your child is one year older and becoming a little bit more independent. So it’s not surprising if the day is filled with some tears.

But let’s be honest, parents: You’re also excited to send your kids off to school.

Why? Because the first day of school also marks the end of summer, which means a break from a house full of loud, wild children. Just ask actor Jennifer Garner, who posted this funny meme she created last week to her Instagram account:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnRKlOCB7yK/?utm_source=ig_embed

The meme features the award-winning movie star in side-by-side photos representing the beginning and end of summer break, which Garner spent with her three children, 12-year-old Violet, 9-year-old Seraphina and 6-year-old Samuel.

In one image, Garner is bright-eyed and smiling, holding a Photoshopped piece of paper that reads “Fun summer ideas.” In the other, labeled “Moms: Last day of summer,” the 46-year-old actor is bloody and bruised.

Garner captioned the Instagram image, “#backtoschool #iwillmissthembut… #godblessteachers… #peppermintmovie.”

Of course, Garner wasn’t actually hurt from her summer with the kids, who she shares with ex-husband Ben Affleck. Instead, the second photo is a behind-the-scenes shot from the set of her new action-thriller, “Peppermint,” which hit theaters Friday, Sept. 7.

Still, most parents would probably argue that a battle-scarred face — even one created with special FX makeup — is an accurate representation of summer break. In fact, one Instagram user commented on Garner’s photo, “Yep pretty much 😂.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bli3l3MhTgo/?taken-by=jennifer.garner

The first-day-of-school meme is also proof that the mom of three is seriously winning the Instagram game. Her account is a neverending well of hilarious parent jokes and adorable photos — like this one where she’s walking her pet chicken or this one where she’s selling Girl Scout cookies for her daughters. Heck, even the hashtags Garner comes up with for her Instagram posts deserve their own comedy special.

In the end, parenthood is as stressful as it is rewarding, so it’s nice of Garner to remind us to have a little fun with it.