Ben Affleck lauded for tough but fair approach to spending money on his children: 'He's speaking facts'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Ben Affleck is keeping it real when it comes to parenting—no spoiled children in his house!
As you probably know, the 'Gone Girl' star shares three children with his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner. Earlier this month, Ben had a relatable dad moment that quickly went viral after being caught on camera.
It was a sneaker-shopping convention. His 13-year-old son, Samuel, had his eyes locked on a pair of ultra-pricey kicks: the Dior Air Jordan 1s, which retail at a staggering $6,000 for a pair.
Well, Ben wasn’t having it. In the now-viral clip from March 1, the Oscar winner hit his son with some classic tough love, Buzzfeed reported.
“You like those ‘cause they’re expensive,” he told Samuel, who immediately protested, “No, they’re tough! I’ve always said they look good.”
But Ben wasn’t convinced. Instead of just swiping his card and calling it a day, he hit Samuel with a dose of real-world economics: “That’s a lot of lawns you gotta mow there!”
Ben’s estimated net worth is around $150 million, so he could’ve bought the sneakers without even noticing the charge. But that’s exactly why he garnered praise for teaching Samuel a valuable lesson in earning luxuries rather than just getting them handed to him.
Ben Affleck doubles down on his life lesson
Fast forward to the red carpet premiere of 'The Accountant 2' at the South by Southwest festival, and Ben Affleck wasn’t backing down.
When asked by Access Hollywood if Samuel had made any progress with his lawn-mowing business, Ben laughed and revealed how quickly the sneaker obsession faded.
“That’s what happens when you tell a m**********r you have to mow a lawn — all of a sudden, they don’t want those shoes anymore,” he joked.
Ben went on to explain his hilarious approach to keeping his kids grounded. “There’s always some grift why I need to be buying [something for my kids],” he said. “I’m like, ‘You do not need thousand-dollar shoes!’ He’s like, ‘We have the money’—I have the money, you’re broke!” he quipped.
If this sounds familiar, that’s because another icon has been preaching the same message. NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal once told his children, “We ain’t rich. I’m rich.” And Ben’s latest lesson to his son follows that exact same logic. Just because dad’s got money doesn’t mean the kids get a free ride.
Social media praises Ben Affleck for his parenting
"'I have the money, you’re broke.' That’s how you raise grounded kids in a millionaire household," one posted on TikTok.
"😂😂😂 if only more celebs seen it this way, we'd have A LOT LESS nepotism 😂," another chimed in.
"I mean he’s speaking facts lol keep those humble," a third user wrote.
"Ben Affleck telling his son that he has to mow the lawn to get the expensive shoes makes my day🤣," read a comment.
"ALERT: fathers humiliate their children to teach them to be humble. That kids gonna grow up knowing the value of a dollar because his dad made him work 😁," someone else gushed.
"No one needs $1000 shoes. Good for Ben having enough normalcy in him to understand that and tell his kid to work for it," another offered.
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