Additional Coverage:
- Ben Affleck warns against handouts, joining Marie Osmond and Gordon Ramsay with tough love parenting (foxnews.com)
Ben Affleck’s “No Free Rides” Parenting Style
Ben Affleck recently made headlines after a video of him refusing to buy his 13-year-old son, Samuel, a $6,000 pair of Dior sneakers went viral. In a recent interview on “Today with Jenna & Friends,” Affleck elaborated on his parenting philosophy, emphasizing the importance of hard work.
He jokingly recounted the exchange with Samuel, saying, “He wanted these sneakers, and I was like, ‘These sneakers are $6,000, what are you talking about? … You got $6,000?’
He was like, ‘We have the money.’ I was like, ‘I have the money!
You’re broke.'”
Affleck believes that children should earn what they want. “You love your kids… but I think you definitely do them a disservice by not connecting [if] you want something… you have to work for that,” he stated.
He revealed that his two older children, Violet and Fin, already have jobs. Violet, a freshman at Yale, is working and seeking a summer internship, while Fin has a typical teenage part-time job.
As for Samuel, Affleck said his son is now “reckoning with that reality,” adding, “I’m like, ‘Well, if you want that, you can work 1,000 hours,’ …Minimum wage. And once you work 1,000 hours, you may not want to spend that on a pair of shoes.”
Affleck’s stance on financial responsibility isn’t unique among celebrities. Marie Osmond has publicly stated she won’t leave her eight children an inheritance, believing it fosters “laziness and entitlement.”
Similarly, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay gives his children a modest allowance and expects them to save diligently. He matches their savings at Christmas and encourages them to pursue part-time jobs.
Ramsay has also stated he won’t leave his children his entire fortune. Guy Fieri shares a similar perspective.
He expects his sons to earn their way and has stipulated they must obtain postgraduate degrees to receive an inheritance. He even gifted his son a used minivan for his first car, a move that initially dismayed his son but ultimately taught him a valuable lesson.
These celebrities all share a common belief: that instilling a strong work ethic and financial independence is a crucial part of parenting.