Ben Affleck Calls Ex Jennifer Garner the ‘Greatest Mother in the World’

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner might be giving Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin a run for their money when it comes to mastering the art of being friendly exes. While hearts broke around the world last year when Ben and Jen announced they were splitting, the Live by Night star continues to have nothing but praise for his former love.

During a sit-down with New York Times journalist Chip McGrath, Affleck didn’t think twice when discussing his greatest achievement to date. It was not winning an Oscar. Or winning another Oscar. It was raising three children — Violet, 11, Seraphina, 7, and Samuel, 4 — alongside Garner.

“In my career or otherwise, it is the birth of my children,” Affleck said affectionately. “The entrance of my children into the world. It’s a joy to hang out with them. I think the meaning of life is to make good people.”

And he readily admitted he wasn’t making these good people alone. Affleck went on to praise Garner as “the greatest mother in the world” — which is a pretty big compliment coming from an ex! This isn’t the first time he’s gushed over Garner’s parenting abilities, however. Back in March, he called her a “superhero” mom. “She is an amazing mother, and I’m really lucky to have her as a partner to co-parent these kids with. We try our best. We put them first, and that’s what we do,” he explained.

Indeed, the friendly exes are out and about quite a lot together. On Nov. 8, they hit the voting booths as a pair, and on Nov. 19 they grabbed some breakfast in Santa Monica, Calif. (As evidence of how comfortable they are together, Jen arrived for the meal with no makeup and wet hair.)

While rumors that Ben and Jen might be getting back together have proved to be false (so far!), it’s pretty clear that they’ve mastered consciously uncoupling and co-parenting better than anyone could have hoped.