Between enforcing strict skincare regimens, "Yes Day," and her youngest
child's fender bender, it's no wonder Jennifer Garner has felt overwhelmed.
Following Violet Affleck's birth in 2005, she and her mother,
Jennifer Garner, appeared to have a hard time adjusting to the relentless
onslaught of photographers. Garner said via The Hollywood Reporter,
"I never had a day without them [...] if I made it to a park by hiding in the bottom of the pool
man's truck or something, then a nanny would see me there and call a number and they'd swarm."
Garner's distaste for paparazzi eventually led to a local meeting in which she and other celebrity
moms voiced their need for protection against these alleged stalkers. Seemingly influenced
by the influx of victims, Violet shared her opinions on the unwanted public attention
she and her family were receiving. Despite her daughter's young age at the time, Garner stated
that Violet has always been "hyper-articulate," so speaking out didn't come as a surprise to the
"Peppermint" actor. However, seeing Violet convey her displeasure toward the paparazzi
spoke volumes to those in attendance. According to Garner, the eldest Affleck child declared:
"We didn't ask for this. We don't want these cameras, they're scary. The men are scary,
they knock each other over and it's hard to feel like a kid when you're being chased."
According to The Guardian, in 2013, Jennifer Garner fought alongside Halle Berry to enforce
laws against photographers who harass the children of public figures. Garner spoke about
the experience on Katie Couric's podcast "Next Question with Katie Couric" in 2019. With her
mommy duties being the topic of discussion, Couric posed a question regarding Garner's daughter's use
of social media. Though Garner has an Instagram account, she proclaimed that her only reason for
creating a profile was to promote the organic baby food company Once Upon a Farm. She told Couric,
"It was very much part of the deal, and I did it kicking and screaming,
but that's how much I wanted to be involved with this company."
Despite her views pertaining to Instagram, she understands the appeal. However,
that didn't prevent her from forbidding her daughter Violet from using social media
altogether. While she acknowledged that it may seem hypocritical, she explained:
"I am modeling the opposite of what I want for her to do."
With Violet growing up, it was only a matter of time before she wanted to create a profile
herself. According to Garner, whenever her daughter brings up the topic, she responds:
"When you can show me studies that say that teenage girls are happier
using Instagram than not, then we can have the conversation."
Although Jennifer Garner's first language is English, she is well-versed in Spanish
due to her role as the hyperpolyglot agent Sydney Bristow in "Alias." A similar feat was
accomplished by Ben Affleck early in his career after spending a year in Mexico to shoot Season
2 of an educational program called "The Voyage of the Mimi." Because of this, we
can see where their children get their bilingual talents from. During an interview on "The Kelly
Clarkson Show," Affleck revealed how fluent his daughter was in Spanish. He told Clarkson,
"Where she's like, in the harder Spanish classes, and she's getting better.
And she's like riiiight at the point where I think she might be passing me."
According to Garner, it's something that her kids are learning from a young age.
From Samuel Affleck picking it up in pre-school to one of her
daughters winning a Spanish spelling bee, it seems as though Garner is
raising them to be well-informed in other languages outside of English.
Judging from her strong stance against social media,
it's assumed that Jennifer Garner — despite her bubbly personality — is a strict parent.
Although we know she doesn't act without reason, that sense of control can be tough
for kids to navigate through. During her appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring
Jimmy Fallon," she acknowledged this side of herself when it comes to parenting.
"I am so lame. I say no to everything. They call me the dragon. They have all these names for me."
This is why she incorporated a family tradition based on the children's book
"Yes Day" — a full 24 hours in which she has to say "yes" to whatever her children want to do.
Following Seraphina Affleck's birth in 2009,
"Yes Day" seemingly became a favorite book among the family. Apparently,
Seraphina gravitated toward this book because Garner is known for her strictness. In 2018,
the mother of three shared a note on Instagram written by her middle child that read:
"When I grow up, I want to be a fun-killing mom, just like you!"
Despite being discontent with some of the actor's parental methods,
Seraphina appears to be grateful to have Garner as a mother. Fortunately,
Garner didn't take it too harshly. She jokingly stated that she was unsure
if she should pass it off as light-hearted banter or an extremely flattering compliment.
Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck had their third child, Samuel Garner Affleck,
in 2012. Though Garner has gone on to express the joys of being a mother,
she also shared how growing a family can cause a sense of anxiety. While motherhood is a tough gig
she happily signed up for, the birth of Samuel seemingly overwhelmed the actor. During her
appearance on "Conan" in 2012, she revealed that having three kids was hard for her. She stated,
"You know how two feels like six? Three just put me right over the edge."
After having her third child, she almost decided to quit acting altogether,
according to People. In 2021, the "Yes Day" actor told Julia Cunningham of SiriusXM,
"I think when I look back at that time, that third kid, oh,
I'm so glad I have him, but I was so overwhelmed."
While all of Jennifer Garner's children are sweet in their own way, each of them carries
certain qualities that make them separate from one another. Violet Affleck plays her elderly sibling
role quite well. An insider told In Touch Weekly that Violet not only shares similar interests
with her mom, but she keeps a close eye on her siblings at all times. The source expressed,
"Violet's extremely protective of Seraphina and Samuel and
really watches out for her siblings. She's extremely mature for her age."
Another insider shared that Samuel and Seraphina Affleck seem to have an impressive relationship
with each other. Judging from the fun-killing-mom note, it's safe to assume that Seraphina is the
bold one of the three. The source told In Touch Weekly that while Samuel is the complete opposite,
he is starting to open up a bit more. In true opposites-attract fashion, it seems
that Seraphina's outgoing personality compliments Samuel's shyness quite well. The insider revealed,
"He looks up to his older sisters and has a unique bond with Seraphina. The two of them spend hours
playing together. They squabble at times like all siblings, but generally speaking, they get on."
Jennifer Garner has made it known that her secret to ageless skin is a consistent use of eye creams,
retinol, and — most importantly — sunscreen. Her passion for healthy
skin led her to become the spokesperson for Neutrogena, so it makes sense that
she would want her children to get a head start in skincare. According to Garner,
she wasn't always as knowledgeable as she is now. She told People,
"When I was really young, no one thought of the sun
as being a problem. We would put on baby oil and lay in the sun."
Garner luckily avoided a string of long-term skin damage. And to prevent that from happening
to any of her kids, the "13 Going on 30" star made it known that anyone under her
roof must follow proper skincare precautions — even her son Samuel. Despite his young age,
Garner said she is set on Samuel having a dedicated skincare routine. She told People,
"I don't care if he's 9 and he's never heard of a pimple. I don't care, you have to do it."
While it may be hard for a child to understand the importance of skincare, one day he'll be
thankful he had a head start in something most people don't consider until it's too late.
What started out as a father and son bonding moment quickly turned into a disaster when
Samuel Affleck got into a car accident in June of 2022. During a visit to a car dealership in
Los Angeles, Ben Affleck permitted his son to get behind the wheel of a costly Lamborghini
Urus. According to the New York Post, Samuel reversed the car shortly after getting in,
crashing into a white BMW parked behind it. An employee told the publication,
"When [Samuel] got into the car,
it jerked back and forth. We have a small lot and the cars are close."
Samuel — who was seemingly distraught — jumped out alongside his father to see how significant
the damage was. Luckily, nobody was hurt, nor were there any apparent damages after
the accident. Despite this occurrence, an employee told the New York Post,
"Affleck loves cars. We hope they come in again."
Though Garner never commented on the situation, it's safe to assume she's
glad it wasn't anything too serious. For Samuel's sake, we can bet that Garner and
Affleck will keep him out of the driver's seat until he reaches the proper age.
During her appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in 2012,
Jennifer Garner revealed that her kids are seemingly enthralled by their father. So
much so that Violet and Seraphina Affleck enjoyed his company during tea parties
even when he appeared to be withdrawn from the activity itself. Garner told Ellen DeGeneres,
"He can do it without using any energy at all. He can sit there and be almost asleep
and they think they're having an incredible game with him."
According to Ben Affleck himself, however, their views on his "coolness" shifted over
the years. The father of three revealed that he doesn't appear to be cool in
front of his kids and that he finds himself aspiring to achieve a simple conversation
with them regarding their interests. Unfortunately for the multi-talented actor,
this seems to be a difficult feat to accomplish. When an interviewer
suggested that his kids must be grateful for having such an awesome dad, Affleck responded:
"You might think so, but you would be wrong ... If you're somebody's parent,
you're not cool to somebody in the world ... That's part of
life. You realize there's something kind of healthy about embarrassing your kids"
Though he may not be a "cool" parent, we're sure his children still love him dearly.
In 2015, Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck decided to split, finalizing their divorce
three years later. As People explained, the parents of three understood how much
it would affect their children, so they did not take the decision lightly. Despite their
reasonings for prolonging their relationship's inevitable demise, Garner and Affleck saw this
as a necessary step to improve their own sense of well-being. During her appearance on Today,
Garner revealed that although co-parenting will be difficult, the two will "make it work."
While the parents went on to have relationships of their own,
the duo appear to be great co-parents to Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel. Though we're
well aware of Garner's relationship with her beloved children, Affleck seems to maintain a
strong bond with them as well. According to Entertainment Tonight, in November of 2022,
a source claimed that Affleck and his wife, Jennifer Lopez, were planning to have their kids
celebrate the holidays together. In addition to this, it seems that Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel
are comfortable with their blended family — and so is their mother. The insider stated,
"Jen Garner is supportive and just wants her kids to be happy [...] There is no bad blood."