Ryan Reynolds‘ kids were front and centre at the Wall Street Journal CMO Summit in New York. The “Deadpool” star discussed “soft parenting” and how it shapes his home life with Blake Lively.
As per a new source, he said the goal is safety first, so children make better choices. The actor and Wrexham co-owner shares four children with Lively. The remarks landed with humor, yet the message leaned practical and calm.
Ryan Reynolds talks about his kids and parenting style at WSJ summit
As per the PEOPLE report dated November 19, 2025, Reynolds explained, “Soft parenting is new, right? I didn’t have that.” He then defined the approach. “There’s not a lot of yelling or punishments or anything like that,” he said. Moreover, he pushed back on the tortured-artist myth. The father of four also said, “I don’t think … I really don’t believe that you have to be screwed up, f—– up, to make good stuff.” He added a quick aside about parental anxiety, joking, “It’s a worry, you know: ‘God I’m not f—— them up enough?’.”
At the summit, he tied the method to decision-making. Reynolds said, “If you’re just in a place of safety, you make great decisions.” He added that safety lets kids avoid fight or flight and “be thoughtful” toward others in the room. However, he still keeps it real about normal chaos. The MCU actor joked, “Are they still, like, spawns of Satan? Yes.” He clarified he was the “Satan” in that moment. The couple’s four are James, 10, Inez, 9, Betty, 6, and Olin, 2.
Additionally, Reynolds has spoken about learning conflict resolution. As per PEOPLE, he said a workshop “changed my entire life.” He contrasted his childhood with today’s norms. “Parents today are so different. We’re so soft. I don’t yell,” he said. The “Free Guy” actor contrasted the approach with his own upbringing, stating, “I grew up with like — it was nuts, it was an improvised militia.” Overall, the Ryan Reynolds parenting takeaway is a steady, low-punishment structure with humor and lots of emotional safety.
