Jessica Alba is learning to "tone herself down"

She said: "Sometimes, I'm a little more iron fist than velvet glove. I'm straight to the point. I've made people cry.

"I have to say, 'This isn't personal. This is what needs to get done and it's just as simple as that. And... we're not crying anymore.'

"I'm learning to tone myself down."

The 'Sin City' actress - who has daughters Honor, six, and Haven, three, with husband Cash Warren - admits she doesn't know if her kids would prefer her to be at home more, but she doesn't think she could ever switch off entirely from work.

She told the new issue of More magazine: "You don't really know how [your career] is affecting [your kids] until they're adults and they say, 'You ruined my life, Mom!'

"Maybe they want me to be a stay-at-home mother who bakes chocolate-chip muffins all day... Nah. I'd probably want to start a chocolate-chip muffin company. Ya know?"

The 33-year-old actress is in a "content" place in her life and admits she feels much better than in her younger days.

She said: "Content is good because I wasn't always. I was kind of unsatisfied and angsty. It's nice shedding the angst."