Poppy Bilderbeck
Ben Affleck has opened up about wanting to 'give' his kids 'everything' and 'do everything for them', but has learned the importance of setting boundaries.
Affleck shares three children with fellow actor Jennifer Garner—the pair having been married for a decade before they parted ways in 2015.
The pair co-parent Violet Anne, 19, Fin, 16, and Samuel, 13, and a video recently went viral of Affleck with the youngest of the three, the father and son shopping for a pair of trainers.
The teenager expressed an interest in a pair of Dior Air Jordan 1s that cost around $6,000, and Affleck responded: "That's a lot of lawns you gotta mow there."
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And The Accountant 2 star has since opened up further about his approach to parenting.
During an appearance on the TODAY show, Affleck noted his eldest two kids both have jobs on the side of studying—Violet working to secure summer internship, and Fin 'a kind of classic teenage working in a shop job'.
And Samuel? Well, Affleck continued: "And my son, who’s 13, he’s reckoning with that reality right now, as he’s looking at no shoes in his closet. He's got shoes, just not like crazy, expensive fancy shoes.
"I'm like, ‘Well, if you want that, you can work 1,000 hours at minimum wage—and if you work 1,000 hours, you might not want to spend it on a pair of shoes."
Affleck joked his son told him they 'have the money', but the actor quickly turned around to point out it's him who has the money and his son is 'broke'.
Affleck noted while he 'loves' his kids and 'want[s] to give them everything and do everything for them', it's important to set boundaries and instil a good work ethic.
And the dad is certainly putting that into practice, with the viral video of him and Samuel seeing him question his son as to whether he only liked the expensive trainers 'because they're expensive'.
Samuel answered: "No, they're tough! I've always said they look good."
Affleck's questioning of his son received widespread praise online, with one Twitter user writing: "Ben worth hundreds of millions and said no. make him earn it good dad."
"Gotta give props to ben man. He raised his kid well," another added.
A third said: "Ben seems so normal."
During a red carpet interview with Access Hollywood, Affleck joked his son no longer wanted the shoes, noting: "That's what happened when you tell a motherf****r they have to mow the lawn. All of a sudden, they don't want those shoes."