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Ben Affleck Reacts to “Most Eligible Bachelor” Title After Jennifer Lopez Breakup
Violet Affleck is putting her college studies to use.
The 19-year-old daughter of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, who is currently a student at Yale University, published an academic research paper in the school’s Global Health Review May 18 as part of her ongoing studies.
In the piece, Violet drew comparisons between the Los Angeles wildfires that ravaged through the Pacific Palisades in January and the societal response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with her findings, she included rare personal insight into her family dynamic, describing her mom as “shell-shocked” and “astonished” by the devastating fires.
“I was surprised at her surprise,” Violet wrote in the essay. “As a lifelong Angelena and climate-literate member of generation Z, my question had not been whether the Palisades would burn but when.”
The college freshman—who spoke about the effects of COVID-19 during a speech in July—also recalled that her brother Samuel, 13, asked about the correlation between climate change and the high-speed winds that contributed to the wildfires.
“Hopefully,” she continued, “most of us understand the climate crisis better than my little brother.”
Ben and Jennifer, who were married from 2005 to 2018 and are also parents to 16-year-old Seraphina, have spoken highly of their kids’ individual paths. In fact, the 13 Going on 30 actress described Violet as being “totally in charge” as she was making her post-secondary plans.
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“She’s a self-starter,” Jennifer, 53, said during a November 2023 appearance on Live with Kelly and Mark. “I'm proud of her no matter what.”
Ben, 52, also praised his children for expressing their own points of view—even if it’s at his expense, like when he brought them to see his latest movie, The Accountant 2.
“They’ll sit right next to me watching a movie and while it’s happening be like, ‘This is terrible. Why did you do this?’” Ben joked on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in April. “Like, we could wait ‘til it ended.”
Fortunately, the action thriller earned favorable reviews from the trio.
“They actually liked it,” he revealed. “I was like, ‘You really liked it?’ And they were like, ‘Yeah it was good!’ They were shocked. As if I got lucky, like this magical accident happened and something I did was OK.”
For some of Jennifer’s most memorable quotes on parenting, keep reading.
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United Front
When it comes to co-parenting, Jennifer Garner will always maintain a cordial relationship with her ex-husband Ben Affleck for the sake of their children: Violet, Seraphina and Samuel.
“It’s not Ben’s job to make me happy," Garner shared in a 2016 Vanity Fair interview. "The main thing is these kids―and we’re completely in line with what we hope for them."
She continued, "Sure, I lost the dream of dancing with my husband at my daughter’s wedding. But you should see their faces when he walks through the door. And if you see your kids love someone so purely and wholly, then you’re going to be friends with that person.”
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Humble Beginnings
Though she and Affleck are both successful actors, Garner doesn't want their kids to live inside a Hollywood bubble.
"It's really important for my kids to see that everyone doesn’t have the lives they see in Los Angeles," she told Southern Living. "That doesn’t reflect the rest of the world. I want them to grow up with the Southern values I had―to look at people when they say hello and to stop and smell the roses."
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Model Behavior
And that's why her parenting style is very hands-on.
“I think teaching your kids anything is a lifelong job and certainly values are something―you can’t just say, ‘Here, have values!’" she previously told E! News. "You have to show them that you have values."
Explaining how setting a good example is the "most important job," the Alias alum added that she and Affleck—who she split with in 2015 after 10 years of marriage—hope that their kids "see and appreciate the work we do."
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Go With the Flow
Of course, there is no one standard way of parenting.
“As much as you think that, ’OK, I’m going to follow what this person says,'" Garner noted during a 2016 appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers, "it’s not up to you, dude."
Advising parents to "let it go" when it comes to their worries, the 13 Going on 30 star continued, "You’re going to struggle. It’s going to suck—just like for everyone else."
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Parenting With Purpose
For Garner, the key to maintaining a good structure for her kids is setting up boundaries and rules.
"You just have to do it," she explained to Us Weekly. "It’s not pretty. I don’t think that I’m always the best at it, but I try my best to be consistent and for them to know what they can expect from me."
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No Worries
And when she does experience a roadblock in her parenting journey, Garner believes "every day is a fresh start."
"You always can say, ‘Today, we’re going to try this!'" she told People. "And if it goes horribly, you can say, ‘Today, we’re throwing that out, and we’re trying this!’"
The actress added, "That’s part of what I like about being a mom in general."
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Mom Life
Garner's motherhood joy extends into the cinematic universe as well.
"I’m really glad that I’m playing moms," she told Today, "because there’s no more rich time in women’s lives than when you have your babies."
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