Ryan Reynolds thinks that his kids have a much easier childhood than he ever did.
On Friday, September 20, the Deadpool & Wolverine star made an appearance at HubSpot’s INBOUND tech conference in Boston, where he opened up about the importance of conflict resolution.
“I took a workshop on conflict resolution, and that changed my entire life,” the Waiting star told event moderator Marcus Collins, via People.
“I just didn’t know how to process things that I felt,” he continued. “Because I [had a] scarcity mindset when I was younger. I didn’t know how to unfold that thing in your brain that conditions you just always to win or be right.”
Reynolds revealed that one of his favorite aspects of understanding conflict resolution was that “you don’t have to be right or wrong,” as he explained, “You can disagree and still connect.”
The Just Friends actor elaborated on how taking a course in conflict resolution has impacted his parenting style while raising his children.
“I have four kids and so far, none of them seem to have that [scarcity mindset], partly because they were born on ‘Easy Street,'” he joked.
Reynolds, 47, shares four young children with his wife Blake Lively — James, 9, Inez, 7, Betty, 4, and Olin, 1.
“Parents today are so different,” he continued, “We’re so soft.”
“I don’t yell,” Reynolds explained of his parenting style. “I grew up with like — it was nuts, it was an improvised militia.”
The Red Notice star noted that he’s glad that his children are experiencing a different childhood compared to his own.
“Now it’s like, I can go look at all my resources for parenting and remind myself how to be perfectly compassionate,” he told the moderator.
Two of Reynolds and Lively’s children — Inez and Olin — made cameos in their dad’s summer blockbuster Deadpool & Wolverine as Kid Pool and Baby Pool respectively. Lively also made a cameo in the film as Lady Deadpool, making the movie somewhat of a family affair.
As for whether or not the two actors are planning on expanding their family any further, Reynolds hinted that more children aren’t necessarily out of the question.
“The more the merrier,” the actor joked during an interview with E! News.
He continued, “As many as possible. As many little heartbeats as possible, just running around, wrecking stuff in the house. I love it. Let’s have more!”
