Leave it to Jennifer Garner to point you in the precise direction.
As the paparazzi once more surround her and her three children and her ex-husband Ben Affleck guides his family through his latest personal drama – the alleged breakdown of his much-publicized marriage to Jennifer Lopez – Garner offers a classy counterpoint.
The ever sensible, sincere and optimistic Garner posted an extended and heartfelt message of thanks to the teachers on the Los Angeles-area elementary school that each one three of her children attended with Affleck, explaining how they provided “a safe haven for our family” – a family that she said often needed to endure the “circus” of a celeb lifestyle.
Garner's Instagram message got here as her youngest son, Samuel, 12, graduated from school this week. But as Garner well knew, the milestone was documented by paparazzi, who camped outside the varsity to snap photos of the family's comings and goings — particularly Affleck and Lopez, who arrived individually, seemingly providing further evidence of their impending divorce.
So it's odd, but not surprising, that Garner's message refers to this elementary school as a “safe haven.” By expressing her appreciation for her children's “caring” and “hard-working” teachers, the “Alias” star not only acknowledged her children's privileges, but in addition appeared to allude to the difficulties the three have faced as offspring of famous individuals who have all the time attracted quite a lot of media attention, including right outside their school.
“The world is a big challenge for everyone, and so many kids are struggling with real loss and hardship that it seems selfish to want more for kids who want so much,” Garner said. “But I wanted my three kids to have a safe place to focus on what it means to be little, and where education and character are the focus.”
Garner has spoken prior to now about how the extraordinary media concentrate on her and Affleck – but particularly on Affleck and his various personal dramas – has made life difficult for her children Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel. In a 2021 interview with The Hollywood ReporterGarner said that as early as kindergarten, Violet was “chased in and out of school and kicked off the soccer team because her parents were putting on a circus there.”
At a gathering of celebrity parents hosted by Garner, young Violet said: “We didn't ask for this. We don't want these cameras, they scare us. The men are scary, they knock each other over and it's hard to feel like a child when you're being followed.”
In the identical interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Garner revealed that she and Affleck have “no family photos” because their children are afraid of the camera. She also said that she is coming to terms with the proven fact that she has chosen to live in the general public eye, but her children haven’t.
The tabloids' interest in Garner began as soon as she and Affleck became a pair, when he was fresh off his first “made-for-the-camera” romantic relationship with Lopez. After she married Affleck in 2005, she told The Hollywood Reporter that she often saw as much as 20 paparazzi parked on the foot of her driveway and that for a decade “the cavalcade followed her everywhere she went.” The paparazzi and entertainment media also followed Affleck and Garner's long separation, reporting on his infidelity, drinking and rehab stints.
The “circus” isn’t over. It picked up steam when Affleck and Lopez rekindled their romance in 2021 and married the next yr. Attention escalated when reports emerged that Affleck and Lopez's transient marriage was falling apart.
The circus was definitely present outside Samuel's elementary school on Wednesday. Media outlets including TMZ, Page Six, E! News and People reported that Affleck arrived along with his mother, while Lopez walked in individually together with her 16-year-old child Emme, Samuel's step-sibling. Page Six described Lopez as if she was walking the red carpet at a movie premiere, with “a big grin” on her face and wearing an easy but stunning short beige dress with a scalloped hem.
Media also reported that Affleck and Lopez were unable to greet one another with an air kiss, as was the case when paparazzi photographed them arriving individually at one other event with Samuel, his basketball game on June 2 in Santa Monica.
The paparazzi were also present later Wednesday when Affleck hosted a graduation party for his son at his $100,000-a-month Brentwood rental home, where the actor and filmmaker has lived since moving out of the marital home. Photographers documented the display of family unity despite “marital tensions,” with each Lopez and Garner seen entering the mansion. as People reported.
A source told People that Lopez and Affleck remain “amicable” despite their marital problems. Another source told In Touch Weekly this week that Affleck just desires to handle the divorce “as sensitively” as possible and “do it in a civilized way and make sure the separation goes as smoothly as possible for the kids.”
Affleck's three children have formed a detailed bond with Lopez and her 16-year-old twins, as evidenced by the proven fact that the singer and her twins also attended Violet's highschool graduation on May 30, People reported. The paparazzi were there too, and the Daily Mail reported that Lopez and Affleck were seen holding hands. Further displays of family togetherness got here on Thursday, when Lopez was photographed heading to a Beverly Hills hotel to have lunch with Violet Affleck. Page Six reported.
Garner, for her part, has tried to maintain the concentrate on celebrating her children and their milestones. At the tip of the month, she made headlines by posts Instagram photos of himselfcrying at Violet's graduation ceremony. Celebrity friends also commented on Garner's appreciation that her eldest has grown up and moved on. Reese Witherspoon wrote with a heart and crying emoji: “Oh, honey… I know. You did an amazing job, mom! I'll be here to support you and give you lots of hugs.”
In her thank-you message to her children's school this week, Garner wrote: “Thank you for caring for my children alongside me, for tying their shoes and holding their hands. Thank you for disciplining my children when they needed it and for giving them more hugs than some children get in their entire lives.”
Garner concluded, “Thank you for 13 wonderful years. I can't imagine a better place for our family.”
image credit : www.mercurynews.com