Ryan Reynolds has given some candid insight into his parenting style, sharing why his ‘anxiety’ makes him a better parent as well as revealing the ‘important’ advice he was given that impacted what he shares with his children.
Ryan Reynolds has quickly become one of the internet’s favourite dads. He regularly shares candid insight into life at home as a father-of-four, making a joke of the parenting struggles we all face on a day-to-day basis and making us laugh when we so desperately need it.
From finding baby name inspiration from his four kids’ Taylor Swift-inspired baby names to getting parenting advice from the steps he’s taking to protect his children’s mental health, the actor has long been a great advocate for not only parents, but also kids, and his latest parenting tip is one that we should all get on board with.
In an interview with fellow actor Hugh Jackman for PEOPLE, Ryan shared the best piece of parenting advice he has ever been given, saying it ‘really stuck with’ him as he’s been bringing up his four kids, daughters Betty, James and Inez, and baby number four whose name and sex has been kept private, alongside his wife Blake Lively.
“Shawn Levy [the director of Deadpool & Wolverine] actually told me something that stuck with me forever, that people tend to only talk about their wins. But I think it’s really important for your kids in particular to know that you lose,” he revealed.
“You don’t get what you want all the time. Something you worked on really hard didn’t work. You feel like you said something embarrassing today, you did something that didn’t sit right with you. It’s just so important that [your kids] see that and they don’t just hear, ‘Oh Dad nailed it.’ Because you lose so much more than you win.”
He added, “It’s really stuck with me.”
But while Reynolds is quick to dish out parenting advice, he’s also not afraid to admit that he doesn’t know all the answers or have all the solutions to every problem. In particular, he’s been incredibly vocal about his anxiety struggles and in the interview told Jackman that he thinks parenthood has actually helped him overcome a lot of his anxious thoughts.
Jackman asked, “Do you find being a dad makes it [your anxiety] better or worse?” To which Reynolds responded, “I think it makes it better because your focus is less on yourself and more on your kids. I know you know that too.
“Now I love that I have anxiety, I love that I’ve had anxiety. Because when I see my kids experiencing some of that, which is probably genetic, I know how to address it in a way that is compassionate, that actually allows them to feel seen. I know that I can’t just fix it. And I can communicate all that stuff to them and with them. I’m always grateful for it.”
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