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Parenthood is a life-changing experience, and being a celebrity tends to offer a unique perspective, especially when faced with the challenges and realities of working, being famous, and raising kids. I’ve been particularly impressed by the words of wisdom from celebrity dads. They’re parenting a next generation of kids who are globally minded, responsible, smart, and caring. But, at the end of the day, they also are making sure their kids feel loved; and that may be the greatest wisdom of all.
Parenthood is not always easy, and celebrity dads know that and have shared their wisdom. Fatherhood can even involve chaos until it devolves into something that feels a bit more like a prison. Will Ferrell told People at the premiere of his movie Get Hard: “What happens with three boys is you end up barking out orders like, ‘Upstairs now!’ ‘Brush teeth!’ ‘Lights out!’ There is so much chaos you can’t really take the time to articulate.”
In an interview, famous funny man Jerry Seinfeld said, “There really needs to be better instructions. For relationships and for parenting.” It may be tough without an instruction manual, but there are rewards as well.
“I kind of have, like, a hero complex a little bit,” Ashton Kutcher said on The Talk after the birth of his daughter, Wyatt. “I’m somebody’s hero now. It fulfills every bit of your ego when the kid starts to cry and you’re like, ‘Oh, I got this,’ and you take it, and suddenly the child calms down, and you’re like, ‘Oh yeah!’ You feel like you’re like a baby whisperer.”
Parenthood pushes the bounds of what we thought was possible and pushes and pulls all of us in directions we never would have thought possible. Really, would you have thought that Channing Tatum would write a children’s book, Sparkella, and dedicate it to his 7-year-old?
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Matt Damon talked with Parade about how he has grown: “The only way I can describe it — it sounds stupid, but — at the end of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, you know how his heart grows like five times? Everything is full — it’s just full all the time.”
Seinfeld talked about the resiliency and bond of a father with his child. He says, “There’s this freedom of fatherhood. Somehow the more annoying I am or the more disturbing I am to my child, they’re still my child and I’m still their dad. You’re not going to sever this relationship over a bad joke…. There’s something fun about the resilience of that relationship. It’s going to survive this.”
There are qualities we want all our kids to cultivate. Vern Yip told People, “We want [our kids] to be globally minded, we want them to be kind, good people.” It’s not one thing or another. He said, “We love to expose them to as much as possible…an important part of parenting is to teach your children that the world is a big place.”
There may be something to be said for just holding our kids close, knowing what a child will face in the future.
#Parenting Tip: If your child is crying, hold it close & whisper “You don’t have a clue what horrors this world holds.”
— Rob Delaney (@robdelaney) April 6, 2013
Celebrity dads talk about what they learned form their own fathers, or the absence of their fathers. John Leguizamo talked about his own father with Psychology Today. “There are some great qualities to my father, but he was an absent father figure, and now he’s an absent grandfather figure. I want to be present.” He added, “Men are realizing that there’s a great thing to be had by [spending time with] kids. It feeds you.”
We all have a responsibility to make the world a better place, and some of the greatest wisdom from celebrity dads talks about just that. In an interview with AARP The Magazine, Matthew McConaughey said, “I want my kids to be conscientious and understand the world we live in and that there are certain expectations, rules and regulations. But hey, be an original thinker, too.”
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We all have a personal perspective on what we would do differently for our own children. Brad Pitt told CNN: “My dad always said he wanted to give me a better life than he had coming from extreme poverty, and he did it.” It’s about more than just a better life, it’s also about giving kids all the love in the world.
Jay-Z told The Sunday-Time: “Feeling loved is the most important thing a child needs…as long as your child feels supported and feels loved, I think anything is possible.” Just having a child gives you a unique perspective as well.
After having three sons, Ryan Murphy told The Hollywood Reporter: So, I find myself saying to them constantly: ‘You’re special. You can do it. I’m proud of you.’”
That’s the greatest wisdom. Just make the kids feel loved.
Do you have a favorite saying or words of wisdom from a celebrity dad? Perhaps you have your own wisdom? Let us know what you think about it below in the comments!
Want More Parenting Insight? Then You Should Read:
5 Life Lessons Lorelai Gilmore Can Teach Us About Parenting
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