Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner’s coparenting relationship has been constantly evolving since their 2015 split.
“It’s always a work in progress,” a source reveals exclusively in the new issue of Us Weekly of raising Violet, 14, Seraphina, 11, and Samuel, 8. “Things come up between them, but they are committed to doing the best they can for the kids. They stay on top of things and have a lot of meetings and check-ins. They want to be the best parents they can for the kids. If they have differences, they keep it to themselves and don’t let it have an impact. They always put on happy faces for the kids and put their well-being first.”
The actress, 47, tends to have “a very specific” parenting plan, which the Oscar winner, also 47, “respects,” the insider adds. “She’s a great mom and knows what she’s doing,” the source explains to Us. “He gives her a lot of credit for getting them to where they are today as a family.”
In December 2019, another source told Us exclusively about the “very high standards and expectations” the 13 Going on 30 star has for her ex-husband. “She wants things done a certain way, and sometimes Ben isn’t able to live up to that,” the insider said at the time.
The source added, “Jen puts up with a lot and does everything she can to keep it together. She wants Ben to be in the kids’ lives. That means dealing with things she isn’t happy about. Jen’s major sticking point is that Ben needs to be sober — and truthful about it. There’s no wiggle room on that as far as his relationship with his kids goes. He’s trying to stay on track and be the best he can for them. But Jen doesn’t always trust him — and relapse is always a concern.”
Affleck has been open about his battle with substance abuse and first got sober in 2001. Since then, the Triple Frontier star has returned to rehab more than once, most recently relapsing in October 2019.
“Divorce is very painful and alcoholism is very painful,” the California native told Diane Sawyer earlier this month. “I never thought that I was gonna get divorced. I didn’t want to get divorced. I didn’t want to be a divorced person. I really didn’t want to be a split family with my children. And it upset me because it meant I wasn’t who I thought I was. And that was so painful and so disappointing in myself.”
The former couple wed in June 2005 in Turks and Caicos and finalized their divorce in October 2018. Garner has since moved on with Cali Group CEO John Miller.
For more on Affleck and Garner’s coparenting relationship, watch the video above and check out this week’s issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now!
With reporting by Brody Brown
