Gisele Bündchen Reveals Son Ben Wears No. 12 Jersey Like Dad Tom Brady as He Plays Football for First Time (Exclusive)

Ben's first season of football comes months after Brady's decision to retire from the NFL

Gisele Bündchen is proud of her budding football player.

Speaking with PEOPLE in New York City last week following a panel for her new Gaia Herbspartnership, the mom of two, 43, shared an update on how daughter Vivian, 10, and son Benjamin, 13, are enjoying their return to in-person school after three years of homeschooling.

"Benny's doing football," she tells PEOPLE, revealing the teen is continuing with dad Tom Brady's tradition of wearing a number 12 on his jersey.

"He just started, and his first game was so nice. It was nice to go because I had all the little friends come to me and be like, 'Oh my God, I love Benny. I love Vivi. They're so nice. He helped me with this.' "

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The mom of two later added, "It makes me proud to see how they're all becoming their own little individual selves, but how their principles and their values are so strong. It makes me so happy to see that they're flourishing into their own beings."

Bündchen, whose debut cookbook Nourish is available for pre-order now, settled down in Miami with her two kids after finalizing her divorce from Brady last October.

Earlier this month on the season opener of the SiriusXM podcast Let's Go! With Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray, Brady, 46, opened up about his transition into retirement, revealing that he's been coping by playing football with his younger son.

"I'm always gonna love throwing that ball," Brady began. "My son is gonna play football this year, Benny, so I've been throwing the ball to him in the backyard."

"And he wants to be a tight end like Gronk [Rob Gronkowski], and he's gonna be a little beast. He's an amazing kid and he's got a lot of talents. He's a really talented musician and artist."

"And then he told me this year, 'Dad, I'm playing football.' And I was like, 'What do you wanna play?' And he was like, 'Tight end. I wanna be like Gronk!' " the former NFL player said.

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