Popular movie star Ben Affleck has experienced his fair share of turbulent times in the past few years. Between a highly-publicized struggle with alcohol addiction and his divorce from longtime partner Jennifer Garner, Affleck has had to work hard to restore his public image.

However, Affleck seems to take his familial duties very seriously, and along with his ex-wife, is committed to raising their children outside of the Hollywood limelight.

How many children do the exes have?

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner started dating in 2004, after having co-starred in several films together, including the blockbuster war movie Pearl Harbor. They dated for less than a year before getting married in a beautiful ceremony that took place in Turks and Caicos. In a marked departure from Affleck’s past high-profile relationships, the pair made sure to keep the ceremony private, and reportedly only had several guests.

Garner and Affleck were married for ten years, and during that time, were considered one of Hollywood’s biggest power couples. They supported each other by attending each other’s movie premieres and reportedly tried to keep their relationship a priority. During their marriage, Garner’s career took a backseat to their family life and spent the majority of her time at home with their children. Altogether, Garner and Affleck share three children – Violet Anne Affleck, born in December 2005, Seraphina Affleck, born in January 2009, and Samuel Affleck, born in February 2012. All three children are absolutely adorable, and although their parents, in general, prefer to keep them out of the spotlight, on the rare occasions when Garner or Affleck bring them to a ceremony or party, the striking resemblance to their parents can be seen.

In 2015, Garner and Affleck shocked their fans by announcing that they were separating. While they remained mum as to the reasons for the split, there was much paparazzi speculation that the ending of their marriage could be attributed to Affleck’s playboy ways, and to his affinity for excessive drinking. Their divorce was finalized in October 2018.

Do they still spend time as a family?

Although Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner have both gone on to date other people following their divorce (Affleck with Saturday Night Live exec Lindsay Shookus and Garner with businessman John Miller), they still make spending time as a family unit a priority. Garner has been open about the difficulties of raising children in the spotlight and admitted that while she prefers to shield her children entirely from the paparazzi, she realizes that due to their line of work, it isn’t always possible. Instead, Garner stated in an interview that she and Affleck have learned to adapt and that if you love spending time as a family, you do what you have to do.

The family is photographed together frequently, including on outings to the park, and to church services. It seems like Affleck and Garner have figured out what many Hollywood exes have a hard time practicing – that it’s important to keep things civil for the sake of the children. The two also make it a point to never badmouth each other to the press – in fact, Affleck has done just the opposite, and often praises Garner in interviews, stating how lucky he is to have her as the mother of his children and that she is the perfect person to co-parent with.

Beyond weekend outings and playdates, the Garner-Affleck clan reportedly still vacation together on a regular basis and still spend most holidays together. Garner has even remained friends with Affleck’s mother after their divorce and has been seen enjoying walks and outings with her former mother in law.