When it comes to watching what comes out of your children's mouths, it's usually pretty straightforward: Cussing, disrespectful phrases, and anything that antagonizes siblings or friends tends to be off-limits. But for dad and actor Matthew McConaughey, there are a couple of seemingly harmless words that will land his children in hot water if they ever use them. So, what five-letter words get the McConaughey kids in trouble? "I can't" and "I hate." Read on to find out why, and for more on McConaughey's kids, check out Matthew McConaughey's Son Looks Just Like Him in Rare Instagram Photo.
In a recent interview with Oprah Winfrey on her Apple TV+ program The Oprah Conversation, McConaughey opened up about parenting and exactly what doesn't fly in his household, according to HuffPost. "You cannot say the word[s] ‘I can’t’ and you can’t use the word ‘hate,’” he explained, adding that there's another no-no for his kids. “We do not allow lying in the house. ... Those three words will get you in big trouble in our house: lying, saying ‘I can’t,’ or saying ‘I hate.’”
McConaughey also added that he and his wife, model Camila Alves McConaughey, have a few other disciplinary demands of their three children: 12-year-old Levi, 10-year-old Vida, and 8-year-old Livingston. "[We] do demand respect and trust within the household," he said, adding that dishonesty is not tolerated either.
But McConaughey also opened up about one thing he does hope his children will say. "If a kid at school ever tells you, ‘Oh, I bet you live in a big house ’cause your dad’s famous,’ don’t bow your head,” he said, describing his parenting rule. “Look up and go, ‘Yeah, we do actually live in a nice house. My dad works really hard to be as good as he can at his job.’”
The beloved actor has plenty of other thoughts on parenthood, too. Read on to see what wisdom he's gained from being a dad, and for more on celebrity parents, check out Pierce Brosnan's Model Sons Will Totally Remind You of Their Dad.
Read the original article on Best Life.
1 | On raising a child the right way versus the easy way
Shutterstock/Denis MakarenkoOnly a small handful of parents in the entire world have the luxury of being A-list celebrities. But McConaughey says that it's important that you don't fall back on your financial means when it comes to raising your children the right way.
"Affluent people can give their kids everything they want, but they’re not usually going to get what they need," the actor told Town & Country magazine in a recent interview. "Loving a child is a lot harder if you really give a damn. 'No' takes a lot more energy. It’s a lot easier to say 'yes.'" And for more musings from celebrity parents, check out Eva Mendes Says Ryan Gosling Passed This Skill on to Their Daughters.
2 | On disciplining his children
PAN Photo Agency/ShutterstockKeeping your kids on the straight and narrow may be a different experience with each child, but in a 2018 interview, McConaughey said he was a believer in providing structure to help them prepare for the real world.
“[I’m] a fan of discipline, I’m a fan of responsibility and I’m a fan of consequences to prepare [my kids] for when they’re out of our house at 18," he said. "Because [in] the real world, you can do the same deed and it doesn’t just give you a demerit, you can end up in jail or worse.” And if you can't get enough celebrity news, sign up for our daily newsletter.
3 | On making time for family
Shutterstock/s_bukleyThe life of a Hollywood star doesn't exactly lend itself to a normalcy for a father of three young children. But during a 2019 interview with Red magazine, McConaughey explained that he's managed to take his family along with him onto the set.
"Early on, Camila said she’d love to have kids, but there was one deal. 'You go, we go', which is a dream for me," he explained. "So if I’m working, that’s part of my deal. If I go, I come with a package and that’s the McConaughey family, so… My family are always with me at work." And for more celebrity kids following in their parents' footsteps, check out Kate Moss' 18-Year-Old Daughter Just Made Her Runway Debut.
4 | On parenting as a team
Kathy Hutchins/ShutterstockAdding children to a marriage can make for some difficult and abrupt changes. But in a 2015 interview with InStyle, McConaughey explained how the dynamic of a healthy marriage can make the job of parenting easier.
“Best thing you could probably do as a father is make sure they see how you love their mother," he explained. "The secret to being a husband? Look, I’ll say this: Neither one of us have really tried to change the other one. We got into our relationship because we really admired and were turned on by who the other person was before we met them, before we got together. And we do not try to change each other. If anything, she pushes me to be more of myself and I hope I do the same for her.” And for more celebrity couples to admire, check out The Longest-Lasting Marriages in Hollywood.
