Reese Witherspoon's daughter is "like another parent" to her youngest son.

Reese Witherspoon and daughter Ava

Reese Witherspoon and daughter Ava

The 41-year-old actress has children Ava, 17, and Deacon, 13, with former husband Ryan Phillippe and son Tennessee, four, with her spouse Jim Toth and Reese the children all have wonderful bonds.

She told Southern Living magazine: "The kids all have funny and unique relationships with each other. Ava is like another parent to Tennessee, like his other mother. I think sometimes he even gets confused--he told Ava 'Happy Mother's Day!' And Tennessee is just sort of like Deacon's protégé. He follows his older brother around the house all day."

Reese also revealed that her mother has become close pals with her friend Laura Dern's mother, actress Diane Ladd, and the quartet spent Mother's Day together this year.

She said: "We had lots of people over for lunch, including Laura Dern and her mom, [actress] Diane Ladd, who has become friends with my mom. It's pretty cute - they really love each other and talk all the time. They're even planning on taking a road trip together!"

Meanwhile, Reese recently admitted she worries she is "ruining" her children's lives and her older kids "very rarely" agree with her these days.

She said: "They very rarely agree with anything you tell them. And when it comes to a 17-year-old girl, you begin to see that you don't know anything about her any more.

"I find myself calling my mum and asking her for advice. I ask her, 'Am I ruining their lives?' "

And the actress thinks her older children are more "demanding" than her youngest son and she's found her relationship with them now is a lot more "complicated".

She said: "The teenagers are much more demanding. You're constantly having to guide them through all those big first moments in their lives - the first love of their life, getting their first car, and then thinking about college.

"The relationship is much more complicated compared to when they're young and your main concerns are very practical - making their meals, driving them to school and getting them to bed on time. And they usually listen to you [when they're young]!"