Jessica Alba Says Daughter Honor Leaving for College Feels Like an “Intense” Milestone

Jessica Alba is getting ready for a major change in her family life: her oldest daughter, Honor, is heading off to college.

The 45-year-old actress and Honest Renovations co-host spoke with PEOPLE ahead of the premiere of the Roku Original series and opened up about what it feels like to watch her children grow up.

Alba admitted that she does not think any parent can truly prepare for the moment their child leaves home.

“It hasn’t really hit me personally, but I think for any parent, just that milestone, it’s intense,” Alba said. “I don’t think you can prepare for it. You just have to tackle it when it happens.”

Alba shares three children with her estranged husband, Cash Warren: Honor, 18, Haven, 15, and Hayes, 8. She has often shared glimpses of her close bond with her children on social media.

That relationship was on display earlier this year when Honor joined her mother for a dinner celebrating the collaboration between Paul Smith and Gabriela Hearst at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles.

The mother-daughter pair coordinated their looks for the evening. Alba wore a black top with a tailored blazer, dark red flared pants, black shoes and a matching handbag. Honor wore a maroon mini dress, a brown blazer and cowboy boots.

Alba later shared photos from the night on Instagram, including a mirror selfie of the two posing together.

“A night with my bestie,” she captioned the post.

She also posted a TikTok showing the pair getting ready and showing off their outfits. In the caption, Alba called Honor her “bestie” and wrote, “I love you sooooo, Honorcita.”

For Alba, their close relationship is about more than spending time together. She has previously told PEOPLE that she and her children are constantly learning from one another.

“It’s important to not take the relationship for granted,” she said, adding that she wants her children to know she will always be there for them.

Alba described their bond as a “back and forth” and said the family shares a “really healthy relationship and unconditional love for one another.”

Now, as Honor prepares to begin college, Alba is facing a new chapter in that relationship—one that may be difficult, but that she knows is part of watching her daughter grow into adulthood.