Jennifer Garner gets candid about co-parenting 'there’s a little bit of loss'

Jennifer Garner has opened up about how motherhood has evolved since her split from Ben Affleck, admitting that raising children across two households comes with both challenges and unexpected growth.

The 53-year-old actress spoke candidly about co-parenting during a recent appearance on Bustle’s podcast One Nightstand, reflecting on how her dynamic shifted after her 2015 separation from Affleck. 

The former couple finalized their divorce in 2018 and share three children: Violet, 20, Seraphina, 17, and Samuel, 13.

“I think that I do a bit of both. And I think my kids’ dad does too,” Garner said. “Especially when your kids grow up in two separate households, I become mom and dad and he becomes mom and dad.”

She explained that parenting from separate homes requires both parents to embody what might otherwise be complementary roles.

“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 continued. “So you have to have a bit of both in the way that you parent.”

Garner acknowledged that the arrangement carries emotional weight.

“There’s a little bit of loss in that,” she said, before adding, “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.”

As her children enter their teenage and young adult years, Garner says her parenting style has naturally shifted. In a recent interview with Marie Claire UK, she described her kids as “so cool,” while admitting she’s had to step back more than ever before.

“It’s more about parenting with a button on my mouth,” she said. “You have to let them grow up and make their choices. You don’t get to control it.”

Earlier this month, Garner was photographed alongside Samuel at the New York Stock Exchange as her organic baby food company, Once Upon a Farm, celebrated going public. 

The mother-son appearance marked another milestone in a life she has balanced between Hollywood and hands-on parenting.

Despite their divorce, Garner and Affleck have maintained a supportive co-parenting relationship. 

In October, Affleck shared rare public comments about their children while attending the premiere of Kiss of the Spider-Woman, which he produced.

“I could not be more proud of my children,” he said. Referring to Violet — who recently testified at the United Nations — he added, “[She] takes after her mom. She’s spectacular.”

Affleck also praised Garner directly, calling her a “great partner” in raising their children.

“It’s the joy of my life and I’m just very, very lucky,” he said. “It makes me happy every day.”