11/7/2026
Today, I came across a touching article about Ben Affleck, the American actor and filmmaker, that made me reflect on parenting and the choices we make in life.
Matt Damon, another well-known actor and longtime friend and collaborator of Ben Affleck, shared that Affleck has turned down numerous big acting opportunities so he can spend more time with his three children.
Under his joint-custody arrangement, Affleck spends half his time with his children. As Damon explained, Affleck once told him that if he traveled overseas to film a movie, such as one shooting in Estonia, he could not get those hours back.
That realization has become a major consideration in his career decisions.
Affleck has chosen to remain based in Los Angeles, where his children live and go to school. According to Damon, this was one reason Affleck wanted to take on the CEO role at Artists Equity, the production company they co-founded. The position allows him to work closer to home rather than constantly traveling for acting jobs.
Affleck has even arranged his workdays so that he can finish early enough to be home when his children get out of school.
Damon mentioned Animals, a film Affleck directed in Los Angeles, as an example of choosing work that allows him to remain close to his family.
What touched me most was Affleck's own explanation of his priorities. He has said that he doesn't want to travel across the country or around the world for work and miss this period in his children's lives.
He wants to be part of their everyday routine: picking them up from school, seeing their friends, taking them to their activities, and simply being around. These may seem like ordinary moments, but they are precisely the moments that make up childhood.
What matters most in the end?
Reading this story made me think about how many parents spend years pursuing career success, professional recognition, and financial achievement, sometimes at the expense of being present for their children.
Of course, working hard and building a career are important. Parents have responsibilities, and not everyone has the freedom to choose where or when they work.
But I think Affleck's example reminds us of something worth considering: career opportunities may come and go, but our children's childhood does not come around a second time.
We can always pursue another project, another promotion, or another this or that. But we cannot turn back the clock and recover the years when our children were young.
What children often remember is not how successful their parents were professionally, but whether their parents were there for them, whether they listened, whether they shared their everyday experiences, and whether they made them feel loved and supported every day.
Success is measured not only by how far we advance in our careers or how much we earn. We should also consider the relationships we build and the memories we create with our children.
The greatest success for a parent is not simply to build a successful career, but to build a meaningful relationship with their children while they are growing up.
Their childhood years are both precious and fleeting. Our children will eventually grow up, develop their own lives, and become independent. When that time comes, I hope we can look back with the satisfaction of knowing that we did not allow the pursuit of professional success to keep us from sharing those irreplaceable years with them.
