Anna Faris Admits It's Hard to Find a 'Good Balance' as the 'Fun' Mom to Son Jack, 11 (Exclusive)

"I do love to laugh with Jack, and that makes me feel youthful," says the actress

Anna Faris is happy to be the fun mom.

The actress, who stars in the new action-comedy My Spy The Eternal City, tells PEOPLE that she has a playful tradition with son Jack, 11, that keeps her feeling "youthful."

"Every six months he gets to choose an activity. Because we live in Los Angeles, sometimes it'll be Disneyland. We haven't conquered Universal Studios yet. But going up to the San Diego Zoo, that kind of thing. And I love those mother-son trips."

"Getting delight in feeling rascally with him, feeling like a kid with him, is incredibly fun," says Faris. "And we'll play-act games together. I'll be a mean nanny, or I love to do boarding-school headmistress."

Faris adds, "I love playing those kinds of imaginary games with people in my life, which annoys some of them but doesn't seem to annoy Jack too much yet. Unless we're around other kids. Then he's like, 'Mom, stop it. Stop it.' "

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Related: How House Bunny Changed Anna Faris' Outlook on Life — Plus Her Hilarious Idea for a Sequel (Exclusive)

The actress is, of course, known for comedies like The House Bunny, Scary Movie and many more. But does Jack know how funny his mom is?

"I think he does," she says. "I think he thinks I'm funny. But he shows it — as opposed to a laugh, he'll just sort of grin wryly at me like, 'Okay, Mom.' ... It's true that, for better or for worse, I think I am a mom who really likes to have fun. I do love to laugh with Jack, and that makes me feel youthful."

Faris shares Jack with ex-husband Chris Pratt, plus she's stepmom to husband Michael Barrett's kids, who are now 20 and 17.

She admits it can be a challenge being the "fun" mom sometimes. "I don't think I find a good balance!" says Faris, joking, "No. I think that I'm like, 'Organic? What?' I don't know: 'Do you really have to do your homework?' "

My Spy The Eternal City is now on Prime Video.

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