Jennifer Lopez Says Her Twins Are Like 'Little Adults' as They Turn 14: 'They Have Their Own Lives'

Jennifer Lopez can't believe how fast her kids are growing up.

The Marry Me star, 52, appeared on Thursday's episode of Live with Kelly and Ryan where she chatted about her twins Max and Emme and how they've become "little adults" ahead of their 14th birthday this month.

"They're amazing, first of all," says Lopez. "And they're just now, they're adults. They're like little adults and they have their own lives and they have all their own ideas about the world already and they love to kind of like, show you that they know things."

The actress, who shares her kids with ex Marc Anthony, says her twins are also constantly teaching her new things.

"I feel like I learn so much from them. They keep me so abreast with the world and what's happening now and how kids are thinking," she shares. "It's a whole different thing. It's a different world!"

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"Especially since a couple of years ago they were in the crux of that transition from being babies to conscious of what's going on. So there's a lot going on with them," adds Lopez.

Despite their age, Lopez says her kids still "love" the adorable nickname their mom created for them: her coconuts.

"I like to think that they like it," she says with a laugh. "It's cute I call them coconuts because they obviously are twins, there are two of them, and when they were in the crib when they were very very little and their hair looks like coconut hair so I used to call them coconuts. And it stuck. It just stuck."

As for what she's trying to teach her twins, the "On the Floor" singer tells PEOPLE in this week's cover story that she's "always trying to let them know how much I love them and that loving yourself is so important."

"Little key things like your thoughts create your life so to think positive, that all their feelings are okay and that people should always treat you well, and you're not a victim to anybody. ...Things you want them to know so they can be in good, healthy relationships with their friends, and then when they finally fall in love with somebody."

Lopez, who rekindled her romance last year with Ben Affleck, 49, after 18 years apart, also stresses the importance of having self-love and inner peace before venturing into a relationship. "I want [the kids] to know where I got to very recently: If you're good on your own, you really can have a beautiful relationship," she says. "But until then, you're probably going to struggle through it and try to find it."

For the full, exclusive interview with Jennifer Lopez — and more extraordinary love stories — pick up a copy of PEOPLE's new Love Issue, on newsstands Friday.