Bruce Willis’ Parenting Rules Are Surprisingly Awesome

I never thought I’d relate to Bruce Willis, of all people, when it comes to parenting. But his recent musings on fatherhood, which he shares in the latest issue of Esquire, are awesome and surprisingly relatable.

Willis, you’ll recall, is dad to three girls with ex-wife Demi Moore: Rumer, 23, Scout, 20, and Tallulah, 18. Last month, he became a father for the fourth time at age 57 when he his lingerie model wife Emma Heming Willis welcomed baby girl Mabel Ray into the world (still loving the old-school name!).

Turns out his daughters the older ones, anyway have taught him a hell of a lot about life, like when it’s best to keep your mouth shut. As Willis tells Esquire:

”Sometimes I have to resist the urge to speak. I learned it from dealing with my kids. That’s my number one rule. It applies in life. But it’s more about being a father. I’d rather hear what they have to say. You learn more by listening”¦ [It] is just a matter of not equating drama with actions that will help them. Teach them to shun drama.”

It’s advice that has no doubt come in handy following Moore’s high-profile split from husband-of-six-years Ashton Kutcher and her subsequent breakdown. But, really, it’s this bit below that really spoke to me:

”I’m happy. Actively happy. I eschew turmoil”¦ Now I’m fun, just with fewer people. I’m in love with my wife and my kids. I require very little. Friends come over, the kids come over when they can. We eat dinner. And I’m happy to play along with their momentum. I save it for them. This is it”¦ I’m happy. This is how I’m doing. That’s my fun.”

For some reason, I can really relate to this sentiment. And it’s something I think most parents can understand that whole notion that having children really does simplify things despite the fact that life as you know it has changed forever.

(Photo: twitter.com)