Eva Mendes Says Her Two Daughters Don't Like When She Becomes 'Nighttime Mama' at Bedtime

The actress shares her daughters Esmeralda Amada, 9, and Amada Lee, 7, with partner Ryan Gosling

Eva Mendes attends Eva Mendes for New York & Company Fall Holiday 2018 Fashion Show at The Palace Theatre on September 13, 2018 in Los Angeles, California
Eva Mendes. Photo:

Donato Sardella/Getty Images for New York & Company

Eva Mendes is giving a glimpse into her bedtime routine with her daughters.

While chatting with Hoda Kotb in an interview for Today.com, the actress, 50, shared that her daughters Amada Lee, 7, and Esmeralda Amada, 9, whom she shares with partner Ryan Gosling, have a name for the role she plays while getting them ready for bed.

"I'll tell you something that my kid told me like, three years ago," Mendes began. "She's like, 'Nighttime Mama is kind of, like, different.'"

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Actors Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling attend "The Place Beyond The Pines" premiere during the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival at Princess of Wales Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Toronto, Canada
Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling.

 Sonia Recchia/Getty 

When Mendes asked her daughter to elaborate on what she meant, the actress said her little girl explained, "'Well, Nighttime Mama, you just have to chill your life down at night.' I was dying because I was like, 'I do have to chill my life down at night.'"

"You want to get all the things done and lined up so they're in bed at that time so that you can have a life, but also so they can get their hours of sleep," Mendes said, noting that her daughters' nighttime routine often takes two hours.

In March, a source told PEOPLE that Mendes and Gosling moved their daughters outside of Los Angeles to give their kids a quieter childhood.

"For them, the most important job is their girls. Everything else comes second," the insider shared. "And their girls are thriving. They left L.A. to live a bit further north, away from Hollywood. They didn't want the girls to grow up around other celebrity kids."

Eva Mendes, Ryan Gosling
Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling.

Dave Allocca/Starpix/Shutterstock

"Eva and Ryan love their life. It's admirable how they've been able to create balance and boundaries. They care so much about their marriage and just want their girls to live a happy life."

In August, a second source told PEOPLE that the famous couple are "hands-on parents and have little help," sharing that they "very much enjoy family time" with their daughters.

"When they are not working, they are all about their girls," the source continued. "Ryan is such a fun dad. He is goofy and his girls love it."

"He takes them out by himself for various activities. As a family, they enjoy visiting the desert and the beach. They are a very active family. Eva and Ryan seem happy. They tend to be flirty and hold hands. It's cute."

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