Jennifer Lopez shares 'scary' life update as 18-year-old twins move out

Fans have praised Jennifer Lopez for sharing what it feels like to be an ‘empty nester’ as her twins begin their first year of higher education in the United States.

The Marry Me actress welcomed her two children, Maximilian ‘Max’ David Muñiz and Oskar Jacob Muñiz—who used to go by the name Emme Maribel Muñiz—both 18, with her ex-husband, Marc Anthony, in February 2008.

The twins, born at a hospital on Long Island, New York, have both fled the nest to begin their freshman year of college—a time J-Lo, 57, has ultimately described as ‘scary’.

“When they go away and I'm sitting here being an empty nester—crying, thinking about them, looking at baby pictures of them and all that stuff—these routines are the things that are going to keep me kind of sane,” she lamented during a video shared via her skincare brand’s official Instagram page.

Jennifer Lopez's children have left the family home and are on their way to their respective colleges (Instagram/@jlo)

“It's a scary time. It's a transitional time. It's a new beginning in a lot of ways for them, certainly, but also for you,” she continued.

The two-time Grammy-nominated star continued, claiming parents in a similar boat should keep regular routines going, explaining: “You're so excited for them to step into this new era of their life. But we have to remember it's a new era of our lives too.”

She said that, as well as staying ‘hydrated, happy, joyful, and productive’, parents whose children are heading off to college should have the opportunity to ‘revive some old dreams that [they] had.

“Something you put aside during the time that you were raising your kids. Even if it's just reading books…beauty starts from the inside out."

Both kids received scholarships to study at the institution of their choice (Instagram/@jlo)

Fans wish Jennifer Lopez a 'happy new era'

Fans have rallied around the Office Romance favourite, with one Instagram user typing: “This was so nice to watch! I don’t have any kids but I’m in a transitional period of life and this was another nice reminder to keep going.”

“My Mum liked this, and she's a empty nester too who's an incredible mother like you Jen,” replied a second.

A third commented: “This is HER. She exposes vulnerability and resolve at the same time.”

Someone else added: “I Love you all over again for this empowering comforting message. Happy New Era Beautiful.”

The Kiss of the Spider Woman star has been praised by fans (Instagram/@jlobeauty)

"I just felt like they work so hard"

Earlier this year, Lopez admitted on the SmartLess podcast that both of her kids had received offers from all five colleges they applied to.

“They both got scholarships, and they're going where they want to go,” she gushed.

In an interview with Extra, she continued: "I am so proud that they set goals for themselves… I just felt like they work so hard.

“I watched how hard they worked, from the time they were like... when school gets serious in the fifth grade, and they just worked hard.

“They have ADHD, and so they need to learn differently, and there were struggles and times, and I'm just so proud of them because they did what they said they were going to do, and they're good people."