Los Angeles, Oct 11 : Actress Reese Witherspoon, a mother of three, says that motherhood helped her in knowing herself better.

The actress has a 14-year-old daughter Ava and nine-year-old son Deacon with actor Ryan Phillippe, and 12-month-old son Tennessee with husband Jim Toth.

Femalefirst. co. uk reports that the actress told Elle magazine that having children helped her understand herself better.

"I feel like I was so confused before I had kids, I almost got in my own way. Having kids made me clearer about who I was as a woman," she said.

She further added: "I just wanted to exhibit good qualities for my daughter. I was a little competitive before I had kids - probably really competitive, to be honest. It really made me let go of that."

The 37-year-old is currently producing director Philippe Falardeau's new film "The Good Lie".(IANS)