The former couple shares three kids together — Violet, 20, Seraphina, 17, and Samuel, 13
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NEED TO KNOW
- Jennifer Garner got candid about co-parenting with her ex Ben Affleck in a recent interview
- The actress said she feels like she had to become “mom and dad,” adding that there’s a “little bit of loss” but also “something gained”
- Garner shares her three kids with ex Affleck
Jennifer Garner is sharing how her parenting changed after her split from Ben Affleck.
During a candid conversation with Bustle for their podcast One Nightstand, the mom of three, 53, spoke about her co-parenting dynamic with Affleck. The former couple is parents to Violet, 20, Seraphina, 17, and Samuel, 13.
"I think that I do a bit of both. And I think my kids' dad does too. Especially when your kids grow up in two separate households — I become mom and dad and he becomes mom and dad," says Garner.
"You kind of can't help it, right? Because you don't have the benefit of both sides of the yin and yang being in the same house," she continues. "And so you have to have a bit of both in the way that you parent."
"There's a little bit of loss in that, but there's also something gained in that. You also just learn. It's made me let go and not focus so much on the bringing up."
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In 2015, Garner and Affleck split after ten years together. They officially divorced three years later, but have remained close as they've raised their three kids together.
Earlier in February, Garner was photographed alongside her teenage son Samuel as the two walked on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Wearing a navy suit and walking hand-in-hand with his mom, Samuel was his dad Affleck's mini-me as he supported his mom. Garner and her son attended the NYSE to celebrate the actress's company, Once Upon a Farm, going public.
In January, Garner spoke with Marie Claire UK and shared that she's been loving watching her three kids step into their teenage and adult years.
Describing her kids as "so cool," Garner admitted that her parenting has now "shifted."
"It's more about parenting with a button on my mouth," she explained. "You have to let them grow up and make their choices. You don't get to control it."
This past October, Affleck made a few rare comments about co-parenting with Garner at the premiere of Kiss of the Spider-Woman, which he produced. Speaking with Access Hollywood, the dad of three was also asked about his daughter Violet, who had recently testified at the United Nations.
“I could not be more proud of my children. I can’t even tell you,” said Affleck.
“[Violet] takes after her mom. She’s spectacular," he continued, referring to Garner. "And I’m very lucky that I’ve got a great partner and that we got great kids. It’s the joy of my life and I’m just very, very lucky. And it makes me happy every day."
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