Jennifer Garner recently took a break from Hollywood to take her oldest daughter, Violet, on a kayaking trip in Sweden. This kind of hands-on, A+ parenting is nothing new for Jennifer, who helps her kids sell Girl Scout cookies and dresses up in costumes to amuse them (and sometimes poses as a Target employee). Plus, she makes sure they maintain a good relationship with their dad, ex-husband Ben Affleck.
But occasionally, like any parents focusing more on their kids than where they're going, she gets a little lost.
This happened to Jennifer and Violet mid-kayaking adventure, when they realized that they were lost somewhere in the waters of Stockholm with nothing but their paddles. This could have ended badly, but with a little help and a lot of perseverance, Jennifer got herself and her kid safely back to land.
Stockholm, Sweden, is apparently a lovely place to kayak.
Stockholm, Sweden, touts itself as an A+ location for kayaking. Experienced kayakers can paddle from island to island around the city. It's no surprise that kayaking buff Jennifer Garner chose to visit with her daughter on their vacation.
Best Mom Ever
According to Jennifer, this was a "pre-middle-school sneak away." Starting middle school can be tough, so what better than a nice bonding trip to ease any adolescent jitters, right?
Unfortunately, everything didn't go quite as planned.
"Did I get us lost in a kayak? Yes," wrote Jennifer in an Instagram post she shared with the world.
It's unclear just how long Jennifer and daughter were lost, as the actress exaggerated for comedic effect:
"Did we paddle as hard as we could for 100 hours and end up in a shipping lane? I’m afraid so."
It could have been worse.
Better a shipping lane than nothing. It's not unheard of for kayakers to get lost at sea. Some are never seen again!
Jennifer, however, is more than just an A-list actress and an avid kayaker. She's also a sharp woman who knows when it's time to call for help.
Enter Mattias
She ended up calling the kayak rental service that owns the double kayak she and her daughter were using. One Mattias Persson received the call and leaped to action.
According to an Instagram post by the rental company, Langholmen Kayak, Mattias found the pair not far from their launching point. He guided them back safely.
After getting back to land, Jennifer snapped a selfie with her (very handsome) rescuer and tagged it with a heartfelt thank you.
"This is Mattias! Our savior!" she wrote. "Thank you, @hipsterpersson!"
Mattias looks very happy to be of service in the photo. Langholmen Kayak posted the image on its Instagram account, writing that the business hopes to see Jennifer again soon.
As for Violet, supermom Garner praised her daughter for her incredible patience with the entire ordeal. She tagged her Instagram post with #shenevercomplainedonce. Pretty impressive for a 12-year-old.
Another upside of the kayaking misadventure was that mom and daughter got to catch a beautiful sunset. No wonder so many people go to Stockholm to be on the water.
Don't Leave Us, Jennifer!
Fans also reached out to extend their thanks to Mattias and his employer for returning their favorite actress and her daughter to land safely.
We love you, Jennifer, and you're clearly a great mom. But next time you go on an at-sea adventure, please bring a map.
