Yahoo Finance Will Smith Says He's in 'Greatest Period of Fatherhood': 'Suffered Enough' to Have 'Real Wisdom'
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Will Smith is reflecting on thirty years of fatherhood.
In conversation with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on the All The Smoke podcast, the Emancipation actor opened up about what he's learned about being a dad and what advice he'd pass on to other fathers.
"This has been probably the greatest period of my fatherhood," said the actor, who is dad to sons Trey, 30, with ex-wife Sheree Zampino, as well as Jaden, 24, and daughter Willow, 22, with wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
Reflecting on his journey thus far, Smith acknowledged, "I was an okay father for my first son. I got a little bit better, with Jaden. I got my sea legs with Willow."
The Ali actor, 54 said that his recent personal growth has helped him to become a better parent.
"The last couple of years of my life, I have sufficiently suffered enough to have real wisdom," he shared. "This last year with my kids has been the best parenting."
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RELATED: Sheree Zampino Reveals Her Son with Will Smith 'Didn't Feel Loved' by Mom Growing Up
When it comes to wisdom to share with other fathers, Smith advised, "It's okay to make mistakes, and the best thing you can do for your kids is to learn and grow yourself."
"When we're trying to force our kids to do stuff and understand things that we didn't do, that we didn't understand, they see the bulls--t," he explained. "And they lose respect."
"I found a place with my kids where I could say, 'I don't know,' and, 'Let's figure it out together. Let's go find that out together but we're doing this as a team.'"
Smith also acknowledged that it's important to continue working on yourself and your relationships, sharing a problem he started tackling two years ago.
"I guess I noticed a little bit of a lack in my ability to connect and love on a deep level. I started noticing it with Willow. Willow was the one that was like, 'Daddy, you're not,' " he shared.
Trey Smith Instagram
"I noticed that I wasn't as proficient at connecting and loving somebody. I could provide — I'll lay it out, that's the easy part. But in those moments, when my kids were reaching for me, I was failing at the depth that they were seeking."
Smith appeared alongside his entire family at Los Angeles' Regency Village Theatre on Thursday for the Emancipation premiere. The film marks his first release since the Oscars controversy in March.
The family coordinated in fall-colored ensembles. Will wore a burgundy Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo with a light pink undershirt, similar to his son Trey's look. The 30-year-old, whom Will shares with ex-wife Sheree Zampino, sported a dark purple sports coat and lavender t-shirt.
Jaden chose to match his mom Pinkett Smith and sister Willow as he rocked a tuxedo with prints of black-and-white images.
Pinkett Smith, 51, wore an oversized white turtleneck dress with matching jewelry. Their daughter Willow wore a black skin-baring dress with silver embellishments.
