Chris Pratt, the conservative, Christian movie star, just rejected the current, liberal orthodoxy in a new way by encouraging young couples to not do what people say to do, wait to have kids until they’re older, and instead to go ahead and start a family before it’s too late.
He said as much in an interview with Men’s Journal, saying, in the context of how having kids has made him. better actor and brought an immense amount of joy to his life, saying that having kids younger is a good thing and helps you bring a new, different perspective to life.
“People say all the time, ‘Don’t rush to have kids.’ I personally disagree. Rush. Have them. Of course, make sure you find a great partner, but don’t wait. I was talking to Adam Sandler a while back and he said, ‘Every day you wait is a day they don’t get to have you in their life.’ The younger you have kids, the more time they get to have with you. It’s wild. Having kids is incredible. The things you normally take for granted in life are new,” Pratt said.
Continuing, Pratt noted that things change as the kids get older, with the opportunity to see how they’re similar and different to their parents presenting itself, bringing a host of potential opportunities and excitement. He said: “As they grow up, it becomes more about connecting with them as individuals and what makes them unique. The softness of their hearts. How their minds work. How they’re the same as you. How they’re different.”
Pratt also spoke, during the interview, about the difference in how men and women connect with children, particularly when the children are young. In his view, the kids can have a special bond with the mother when younger, leading to a disconnect with the dad, but then as the child grow the father and child connect more and the bond grows.
As he put it, “The journey is different for different partners. Sometimes as a dad, when the kids are young, you can feel a disconnect where the kids are closer to the mom. You feed them. You change them. But there is still a special energy reserved for the mom. But as time goes on, that connection grows, or at least that’s what I’ve experienced. You hit a point where you’re like, I could never feel closer to this child than now. And then you get closer. You surprise yourself with how strong that bond grows.”
He also spoke about how having kids has encouraged him to be more responsible as an adult, whether that be taking his health and physical training schedule even more seriously or focusing on going to bed early to ensure he gets a good night’s sleep, even with his kids waking him and his wife up early.
In his words: “Staying healthy for the kids is a huge motivator. I think my health has also benefitted a lot from caring more about my sleep and going to bed early. I can’t afford to be a guy who’s out until midnight. Katherine and I are in bed, head on the pillow, lights out at 9p.m. Best case scenario, we’re going to be up at 5 in the morning. That’s just the reality of the responsibilities of being a parent.”
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