Ben Affleck Celebrated Father's Day by 'Doting' on His Three Children, Says Source

Ben Affleck spent a memorable Father’s Day surrounded by his kids.

The Justice League star was celebrated on Sunday by his three children with ex-wife Jennifer Garner — son Samuel Garner, 7, plus daughters Seraphina Rose Elizabeth, 10, and Violet Anne, 13 — at Barton G. restaurant in Los Angeles.

During the fun dining experience, Affleck and his kids enjoyed liquid nitrogen “mocktails,” popcorn shrimp, filet mignon, salmon, short ribs and more presented in a variety of creative ways, complete with themed cake and s’mores desserts.

“Ben was just doting over his kids,” a source tells PEOPLE, noting that the restaurant is “one of their favorite places to go as a family.”

“The kids were hanging on him,” the insider adds.

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Affleck took to Instagram on Sunday to express his joy over being a dad, sharing a pair of images — the first featuring a cute drawing of a “Best Dad Ever Award.”

The second photo looked to be of a program or perhaps an event invitation, reading, “Celebrating Papa Affleck / Fathers Day / We Love Dad.”

“Happy Father’s Day to all the father figures out there,” Affleck captioned his post. “I am so lucky that these three incredible humans call me Dad.”

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The actor opened up about fatherhood in March while on The Ellen DeGeneres Show following a rocky few months that saw him return to rehab.

“You look healthy and happy and I’m happy for you,” Ellen DeGeneres told him.

“There’s temptation to get like — I could be depressed. I could be like, ‘I’ve been through a lot. This was hard, this was hard,’ or I could be kind of embarrassed,” he said of his hardships. “But I have to say, I feel so good right now.”

He added, “I’m in such a great place, the kids are healthy, life is good. So whatever it took for me to get to this place, I’m grateful for.”

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Earlier that month, Affleck said he hoped he was “a pretty good dad” while on the Today show.

“I certainly try very hard,” he said. “I’m lucky they got a great mom, and she helps out a great deal with making sure that we co-parent in as good a way as possible. Dads are so important to kids, and it’s our responsibility to be there for them — to be present, to be mindful, to be attentive, to be part of their lives, to be as in it as moms.”

“That’s really the central preoccupation in my life,” the actor admitted. “The focus of my life is what I love doing. It’s what makes me happy, and the rest of the stuff kind of follows.”

Affleck — whose divorce from Garner, 47, was finalized in November, three years after they separated — continued to praise Garner when host Hoda Kotb pointed out how much love he seems to still have for her.

“Of course, she’s wonderful,” Affleck responded. “When somebody is the mother of your kids, they’re gonna be the most important, central person in your life, and that’s good.”

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