Ryan Reynolds is opening up about how his personal struggles helped him become a better parent.
During a conversation with Hugh Jackman, the Deadpool actor, 47, revealed his anxiety has benefited how he's raised his daughters, Betty, James and Inez, and his fourth child, whose name has yet to be revealed, with his wife, Blake Lively.
"Oh mate, you've been pretty open with your anxiety struggles, which I really applaud you for. Do you find being a dad makes it better or worse?" the Greatest Showman star asked Reynolds.
"I think it makes it better because your focus is less on yourself and more on your kids. I know you know that too," The Proposal actor admitted.
Despite the mental health battle, Reynolds noted how his little ones made him completely reframe how he deals with his issues. "Now I love that I have anxiety, I love that I've had anxiety," he told Jackman, 55.
"Because when I see my kids experiencing some of that, which is probably genetic, I know how to address it in a way that is compassionate, that actually allows them to feel seen. I know that I can't just fix it. And I can communicate all that stuff to them and with them. I'm always grateful for it," the Canada native said.
Both Reynolds and the Gossip Girl alum, 36, have been candid about how honest with their tots. "I want to be as present of a mother as humanly possible and I want them to feel my presence," Lively explained in a recent interview.
"But I also think the best way to be the best mother is to show them that you can have a life and have a passion and have an identity outside of just being a mother," she added. "I mean, being a mother is completely all-encompassing, and that doesn't mean there are a lot of mothers who don't have the opportunity to work as well, but just having your [own] identity is, I think, very important. And teaching them that they can maintain themselves and that everything is possible [is crucial]."
The blonde beauty emphasized how grateful she is that her girls get to witness her as a whole person and not just their mother. "It is very important for them to see me working. I bring them along, though. I mean, it's amazing they're not hidden under my skirt right now. I bring them everywhere. It's so inappropriate, but I'm very lucky to be at a job that allows me to do that," Lively noted.
People hosted the interview between Reynolds and Jackman.
