Growing up so fast! Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner‘s son, Samuel Affleck, is 9 years old now. *Picks jaw up off the floor.* The only son of the former couple arrived in February 2012 after his sisters — Violet, who was born in December 2005 and Seraphina, who came along in January 2009.
A source exclusively told In Touch the youngster is a little shyer than his older sisters. “Samuel used to be quietest, but he’s beginning to come out of his shell,” the insider divulged about Ben and Jen’s only son. “He looks up to his older sisters and has a unique bond with Seraphina. The two of them spend hours playing together. They squabble at times like all siblings, but generally speaking, they get on.”
Ben and Jen were married for 10 years before splitting in 2015, just a few years after the birth of their youngest child. The longtime couple — who many fans believed would go the distance — finalized their divorce in November 2017.
For the most part, Jen and Ben’s breakup has been amicable, and they’re often seen out and about with their kids. Sometimes they go on outings with their little ones separately, and sometimes they’re seen together. Generally, when the whole family is spotted with each other, the parents seem to be getting on well.
However, things got a little more tumultuous with his parents’ relationship in late 2019. When their dad had a very public slip in his sobriety journey, their mom became warier about letting the kids spend time with him.
While Jen and Ben celebrated Thanksgiving together in 2019 with their children, just one day later, the exes had a disagreement outside of Jen’s home, an insider exclusively revealed to In Touch. “The conversations seem to get more and more heated,” an eyewitness claimed at the time. “They’re usually always out smiling together, but they were shooting daggers at each other this time.”
“Jen brought up her concerns that Ben wouldn’t be able to stay sober this holiday season,” the insider continued. “She was acting out of love, but it set Ben off because he’s been trying so hard after having a slip recently. He’s sober right now and felt Jen was doubting him. So they got into a heated argument.”
Despite their ups and downs, it seems like the family is back in a good place. Ben rekindled his romance with Jennifer Lopez while Jen and John Miller recently got back together.
“I’ve been in the luckiest possible circumstance. I have a roof, I have food, I have health and so does my family,” the actress gushed during an Instagram Live yoga session with instructor Chelsea Jackson Roberts. “So I have no complaints.”
Check out the gallery below to see how Samuel has grown up before our eyes!