Will Jen Or Ben Get Custody Of The Kids?

One of the biggest questions looming in the wake of news that Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner called it quits — other than WHY, JUST WHY?! — is will Affleck or Garner get custody of their children? The couple have three children together — Violet, Seraphina and Samuel — and, considering both appear to be active parents, it can't be an easy decision to figure out.

Though the answer to the question isn't yet known for certain, the couple's statement announcing their split may shed some light on the situation. Affleck and Garner announced their split via a joint statement to TMZ, which reads,

After much thought and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to divorce. We go forward with love and friendship for one another and a commitment to co-parenting our children whose privacy we ask to be respected during this difficult time. This will be our only comment on this private, family matter. Thank you for understanding.

In their message, they call out their commitment to co-parenting, hinting that joint custody is an option. Considering that both actors have busy careers (Affleck has six projects either announced or in post-production, while Garner has two), it wouldn't be surprising if they traded off on parenting duties.

They could always look to other Hollywood exes too, such as Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillipe. Phillipe recently spoke to Huffington Post Live about co-parenting with the Oscar winner, saying, "It's a feeling out process and I think we've gotten to a really great place. She's happy and remarried and our kids are incredible. I'm proud of the way we've handled it and who our little people are."

In September 2014, Garner spoke about splitting parenting duties, telling InStyle , "For better or worse, I tend to be the one who says, ‘This is what needs to happen.’ I know who wants what lunch, and I’ve done all the school paperwork and filled out the emergency cards. Ben doesn’t know that stuff exists. He is in charge of laughter. No matter how much I tickle them or toss them or chase them around, it’s not the same. If I’m the slow, steady drumbeat, he’s the jazz.”

The actress also address how having children changed their relationship, saying, "When we had our first [child], we had only been together a year. We were babies. It happened so fast, I hardly remember what we were like before the kids got here. Now we’re just starting to go away for a night here and there."

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