Alyson Hannigan Reveals Why Daughters Won’t ‘Subject Themselves’ to Watching Her Shows

Alyson Hannigan is very proud to have worked on two of the most beloved TV shows of all time — but that doesn’t mean the star wants to rewatch Buffy the Vampire Slayer or How I Met Your Mother with her daughters, Satyana, 15, and Keeva, 12. And the feeling is mutual. The 50-year-old, who’s been married to fellow actor Alexis Denisof , 58, for 19 years, says her kids have no desire to see her coupled up with another man. “When they were really young, I showed them a video of their dad in a George Harrison video where he was 17 and flirting with a girl. My youngest was like, ‘I don’t want to watch How I Met Your Mother . I just don’t like seeing you guys with somebody else.’ I traumatized them, but in a good way!” Here, Alyson, who recently partnered with Kevin’s Natural Foods and their initiative to help cure “Irritable Parent Syndrome,” talks to Life & Style ’s Fortune Benatar about parenthood, the controversial HIMYM finale, and getting a shout-out in Taylor Swift’s song “So High School.”

So your daughters haven’t watched your shows at all?

AH: They haven’t. I don’t think that they want to subject themselves. If they tried to watch the first episode of How I Met Your Mother , they would steer off immediately — the relationship with Marshall [ Jason Segel ] and Lily is going to be too weird for them. I’m off the hook!

What’s it like having two teens?

AH: Fifteen is rough. I remember it being rough, and now I see how rough it is. Everything is really, really big. I keep joking with her about how these are the years she’ll apologize to us for later. Actually, over the summer, we did get the apology. She’s light-years ahead of me.

How do you handle it?

AH: I look at parenting as a roller coaster. Sometimes it’s bumpy and you’re like, “Is this gonna be OK?” Then, it’s exhilarating and fun. [You have to] just enjoy the journey, even the hard parts, because it goes by so quickly. I cannot believe that in a blink of an eye my firstborn is going to be driving.

You look amazing! What is your wellness routine?

AH: I definitely love healthy natural foods. We go to the farmers market, and if it were a toss-up between exercise or eating, I would pick eating well. I like to be tricked into working out — that’s why Dancing With the Stars was amazing because it was so much fun.

How I Met Your Mother just celebrated its 10th anniversary. Were you happy with how it ended?

AH: Everybody talks about being disappointed with the finale. I felt like so much got cut out of it, because the table read was the perfect love letter to the fans, and I remember watching it going, “Well, wait, what about this scene?” It couldn’t be a three-hour finale, so a lot of it got cut. But I don’t think it deserves all the heat it gets, and overall, I think people still love the show.

You’ve been in the business since you were a teen. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned?

AH: Enjoy the journey. Don’t focus so much on the destination because the journey’s all you really have!