Posted:
Hip Daddy Spotlight: Supernatural's
Jared Padalecki
http://www.thehipdaddy.com/jared-2/
Tell us about your kids, what's it like
being a father?
I've got two sons: Thomas Colton,
who turned 2 on March 19th, and
Austin Shepherd Shep' who was
born on December 22nd. I truly love
being their daddy.
Thomas is a bit of a ham (go figure,
both of his parents are actors!) He
loves being the center of attention
and he brings a lot of joy to
everybody around him. I think a lot of
that has to do with the fact that we
are so mobile as a family: we work in
Vancouver for the better part of 9
months a year, live in Austin, and
regularly travel to Seattle, Los
Angeles, San Francisco, Sun Valley
and San Antonio to visit friends and
family. So, in essence, every time we
get to a new place, the people we are
visiting are ecstatic to see him
because they probably haven't in a
while! So, he's gotten used to being
greeted with excitement and love
wherever he goes. That, and I think
it's in his natural disposition to be
happy
Shep is still pretty much a baby,
obviously. He likes eating, pooping,
and sleeping. However, his FAVORITE
thing is to play this game where he
will wait for mommy and daddy to go
to bed so that he can start crying...
kidding ;). Honestly though, he's also
a great kid. He seems a touch more
reserved than I remember Tom being
at the same age, and has a "wisdom"
in his eyes. He's recently started
cooing and smiling and it's been
exciting for me to re-experience this
phase of fatherhood.
Talk to us about your parenting
style?
I'm a pretty laid back parent. I don't
like to hover or "helicopter parent"
around my boys. I enjoy letting them
play and watching them explore.
Granted, I'm not going to let them
play in traffic, but feel like it's part of
growing up to fall down and get dirty
and "meet" new people and learn by
trying. I try to intervene only if I feel
they are in actual danger, or feel they
are displaying bad behavior (i.e.
saying "no" to adults, throwing food
across the restaurant, hitting, etc.).
They're both still a bit young to
grasp the importance of learning
certain life lessons, but I also try to
be firm and set some sort of
"guidelines".
Favorite piece of clothing you wear
with them or favorite piece of
clothing you dress them in?
Both of my sons have been big
eaters as babies. As most parents
know, there's only so much a baby
can eat before their stomach gets
upset. SO, and there's not really a
delicate way to put this, they both
liked to spit-up. That being the case,
I quickly learned to rock the
undershirt, because it was VERY
likely that I was going to have to take
off my outer shirt at some point in
time during a day's activities. I also
have a blue P-coat by Loro Piano
that is water-resistant (ergo,
relatively milk and food proof) and
has lots of pockets (for soothers,
toys, diapers, wipes, etc.). In other
words, the jacket serves as my
damage-proof "murse"
What do you do for fun with the
kids?
I am a jogger, and Vancouver is a
beautiful city, so I enjoy throwing the
boys in a jogging stroller and taking
them out for a run. I feel like its a
good chance for them to see new
sights and smell new smells, and
they seem to enjoy being
"chauffeured" around by their daddy.
At home, they both love to read (or,
be read to), and Tom has just started
a love affair with the original Jungle
Book movie. I also love taking them
to aquariums, zoos, parks, etc. Shep
is still too young to play with
footballs, basketballs, etc but Tom is
just getting old enough to kick
around a soccer ball, or play catch
with a football, or get lifted up to
"shoot" a basketball. I love that stuff,
and CANT WAIT to do it in the years
to come.
What is the one thing you can't live
without as a Dad?
My wife. hahaha. I have so much
respect for people who are able to do
this alone. I certainly could not.
Aside from that, my "one thing" has
changed as Tom has grown and as
we've had our second child. In the
baby stage, I relied heavily on my
"Baby Bjorn" that holds a child to
your chest, thereby freeing up your
hands to take care of other
responsibilities you may have, like
hold your script so you can
memorize your lines, or take out the
garbage. In that same stage, we also
watched more hours of "Signing
Time" than I care to admit. It really
helped Tom communicate at a young
age, and I feel certain that it is going
to help Shep too. When that stage
passes (and some people might be
offended by this), I have found that
an iPad mini has helped
immeasurably. With all sorts of kid-
friendly apps and maybe a few
educational tv-shows saved, it can
really turn a difficult situation (i.e.
flying across a continent) into a
much calmer experience. Also, I am
coming to terms with the fact that the
world my children grow up in will be
VERY different than the world I grew
up in. I feel that a level of comfort
with technology will behoove them,
and, as long as it's balanced with
lots of reading and outside-time, I
feel its just fine.
What does it mean to you to be
considered a hands-on Dad serious
about fatherhood/parenting?
It means a lot to be considered a
hands-on dad. I think we all, as
parents, can't help but question
ourselves sometimes. it is so
imperative to provide a loving,
supportive environment to a young
human being, and (in my opinion),
no one has a larger impact on a
person than their parents.
Jared Padalecki
http://www.thehipdaddy.com/jared-2/
Tell us about your kids, what's it like
being a father?
I've got two sons: Thomas Colton,
who turned 2 on March 19th, and
Austin Shepherd Shep' who was
born on December 22nd. I truly love
being their daddy.
Thomas is a bit of a ham (go figure,
both of his parents are actors!) He
loves being the center of attention
and he brings a lot of joy to
everybody around him. I think a lot of
that has to do with the fact that we
are so mobile as a family: we work in
Vancouver for the better part of 9
months a year, live in Austin, and
regularly travel to Seattle, Los
Angeles, San Francisco, Sun Valley
and San Antonio to visit friends and
family. So, in essence, every time we
get to a new place, the people we are
visiting are ecstatic to see him
because they probably haven't in a
while! So, he's gotten used to being
greeted with excitement and love
wherever he goes. That, and I think
it's in his natural disposition to be
happy
Shep is still pretty much a baby,
obviously. He likes eating, pooping,
and sleeping. However, his FAVORITE
thing is to play this game where he
will wait for mommy and daddy to go
to bed so that he can start crying...
kidding ;). Honestly though, he's also
a great kid. He seems a touch more
reserved than I remember Tom being
at the same age, and has a "wisdom"
in his eyes. He's recently started
cooing and smiling and it's been
exciting for me to re-experience this
phase of fatherhood.
Talk to us about your parenting
style?
I'm a pretty laid back parent. I don't
like to hover or "helicopter parent"
around my boys. I enjoy letting them
play and watching them explore.
Granted, I'm not going to let them
play in traffic, but feel like it's part of
growing up to fall down and get dirty
and "meet" new people and learn by
trying. I try to intervene only if I feel
they are in actual danger, or feel they
are displaying bad behavior (i.e.
saying "no" to adults, throwing food
across the restaurant, hitting, etc.).
They're both still a bit young to
grasp the importance of learning
certain life lessons, but I also try to
be firm and set some sort of
"guidelines".
Favorite piece of clothing you wear
with them or favorite piece of
clothing you dress them in?
Both of my sons have been big
eaters as babies. As most parents
know, there's only so much a baby
can eat before their stomach gets
upset. SO, and there's not really a
delicate way to put this, they both
liked to spit-up. That being the case,
I quickly learned to rock the
undershirt, because it was VERY
likely that I was going to have to take
off my outer shirt at some point in
time during a day's activities. I also
have a blue P-coat by Loro Piano
that is water-resistant (ergo,
relatively milk and food proof) and
has lots of pockets (for soothers,
toys, diapers, wipes, etc.). In other
words, the jacket serves as my
damage-proof "murse"
What do you do for fun with the
kids?
I am a jogger, and Vancouver is a
beautiful city, so I enjoy throwing the
boys in a jogging stroller and taking
them out for a run. I feel like its a
good chance for them to see new
sights and smell new smells, and
they seem to enjoy being
"chauffeured" around by their daddy.
At home, they both love to read (or,
be read to), and Tom has just started
a love affair with the original Jungle
Book movie. I also love taking them
to aquariums, zoos, parks, etc. Shep
is still too young to play with
footballs, basketballs, etc but Tom is
just getting old enough to kick
around a soccer ball, or play catch
with a football, or get lifted up to
"shoot" a basketball. I love that stuff,
and CANT WAIT to do it in the years
to come.
What is the one thing you can't live
without as a Dad?
My wife. hahaha. I have so much
respect for people who are able to do
this alone. I certainly could not.
Aside from that, my "one thing" has
changed as Tom has grown and as
we've had our second child. In the
baby stage, I relied heavily on my
"Baby Bjorn" that holds a child to
your chest, thereby freeing up your
hands to take care of other
responsibilities you may have, like
hold your script so you can
memorize your lines, or take out the
garbage. In that same stage, we also
watched more hours of "Signing
Time" than I care to admit. It really
helped Tom communicate at a young
age, and I feel certain that it is going
to help Shep too. When that stage
passes (and some people might be
offended by this), I have found that
an iPad mini has helped
immeasurably. With all sorts of kid-
friendly apps and maybe a few
educational tv-shows saved, it can
really turn a difficult situation (i.e.
flying across a continent) into a
much calmer experience. Also, I am
coming to terms with the fact that the
world my children grow up in will be
VERY different than the world I grew
up in. I feel that a level of comfort
with technology will behoove them,
and, as long as it's balanced with
lots of reading and outside-time, I
feel its just fine.
What does it mean to you to be
considered a hands-on Dad serious
about fatherhood/parenting?
It means a lot to be considered a
hands-on dad. I think we all, as
parents, can't help but question
ourselves sometimes. it is so
imperative to provide a loving,
supportive environment to a young
human being, and (in my opinion),
no one has a larger impact on a
person than their parents.
Anupamaa
