Kevin Costner: “All of my kids are showered with love”
Before the May 6 birth of his son and fifth child, Cayden Wyatt, with wife Christine, Kevin Costner sat down for a Q&A with Good Housekeeping and spoke about his excitement over being a father again and the close relationships he has with his other children, Annie, 23, Lily, 21, Joe, 19, and Liam, 10.
While many people think they’re better parents the second time around and so forth, Kevin feels the exact opposite.
I feel really good about the kind of dad I was the first time around. I was there for all the little moments, like when my kids forgot to sing in their school play because they were too busy waving at me. I can’t wait to have those moments again.
At 52, Kevin says he’s not concerned about being an older dad either.
I don’t kid myself about certain realities: I won’t be around to see as much of this one’s life as I’ll get to see of my older kids’ lives. So with him, I really want to be there for every single moment that I can.
The Mr. Brooks star also couldn’t wait to shower Cayden with love and affection, which he says all his kids have an excess of.
All of my kids are showered with love, which is what’s important. I didn’t have much as a child, but if you’d asked me back then, I thought I had everything. We had this dinky backyard in Compton, CA, and I thought it was a kingdom. I’ve always taught my kids that they have to work hard and stand on their own two feet.
Kevin has instilled such a strong sense of self-reliance and hard work that Annie placed herself on a shopping budget since she’s starting out on her own. As a result, Kevin took her on a shopping spree, which he loves doing with his daughters. He and his kids also bond over their shared love of music – Kevin performs in the rock band Modern West.
My son Joe is a great songwriter and my daughters both have bands, and I really enjoy singing with them too.
The actor says he sees no differences in raising boys and girls, except for maybe one thing.
I’ve always been really close to my girls, but I can’t say I see much difference — except that my girls will occasionally make me a sandwich and my son won’t.
As for Father’s Day, Kevin says he’s not expecting any lavish gifts from his children.
No, I get enough attention already. But if I didn’t get a phone call from my kids, I guess I’d miss it. Not that that’s a hint or anything…
Source: Good Housekeeping
Do you find raising daughters vs. sons different?
Tags: Annie Costner, Cayden Costner, Christine Costner, Joe Costner, Kevin Costner, Lily Costner, Modern West, Mr. Brooks
- Posted on May 25, 07 at 1:21AM
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- 8 Comments
May 26th, 2007 at 7:12 am
too bad he doesn’t actually refer to his son Liam there. i recall he said in an interview he will never love him like his other kids, since they were born out of love and were wanted. i kind of lost my respect for him after reading it… it’s not the child’s fault the way he was born or conceived.
May 26th, 2007 at 10:05 am
Tell me more. I thought Costner was a loser, but this made him sound like a nice father. I also noticed he didn’t mention Liam – nor is there a picture of him. What’s the story there????
May 26th, 2007 at 10:06 am
What is the story with Liam’s conception?? Who is the mother?
Bridget Rooney, whom he had a brief fling with. DNA tests proved he was the father.
May 26th, 2007 at 10:57 am
Elle, do you remember where you read that interview? I’ve been hunting high and low on the internet and couldn’t find it, or any statement from Kevin in regard of Liam.
But I did find other articles saying that Kevin really doesn’t have a relationship with Liam. Like this one
http://www.netbroadcaster.com/events/newsxml/nb020417/nb020417_2_STAR.html
I don’t know if it’s true or not but if Kevin, who in this interview
http://www.parade.com/celebrity/articles/070523-kevin-costner.html
says that he’d kill for his kids, really doesn’t have anything to do with Liam, I’d find that a great shame. But who knows what the truth is. I’d like to think that Kevin is a great father to ALL of his children!
May 28th, 2007 at 8:25 pm
Liam was indeed the result of a “fling” with Bridget Rooney. I believe Kevin tried to have more contact with him when they were living in Colorado, but she made it more difficult by ultimately moving permanently to Florida with Liam. When Kevin said he could never love him as he loved his other kids, I felt he was referring to the fact that he had not been able to see Liam often enough to develop a relationship. I’m sure it’s not something Kevin is proud of. He’s not perfect, but he’s been a wonderful father to his other kids, as I’m sure he’ll be with the newborn son.
June 1st, 2007 at 11:21 am
I thought the same thing, what about Liam? For a while, Kevin was acknowledging him, but then he stopped. I can only imagine what that will do to Liam’s self esteem when he grows up. I don’t think you can confess to being a great dad, when ALL your children are not showered with love, as Kevin likes to say. I also find dad’s in general think the are great parents, even if they don’t spend a lot of time with their kids. Men in general seem to rate themselves higher on parenting skills then women. Mother’s continually feel bad about things they haven’t done and worry they aren’t good enough mothers. Father’s on the other hand contribute less then mothers to the child’s upbringing, but feel they do a great job. I for one would like to hear what Cindy thought of Kevin’s parental contributions while the kids were little. I’m sure we know what Rooney’s assessment would be.
June 1st, 2007 at 11:27 am
Dakota, I don’t think having a child leave across the country is a good enough reason for not developing a bond with that child. Kevin owns a lear jet and scoots about the world when it suits him. He’s a rich man, so traveling isn’t a problem as it is for the average dad. I do think Kevin is a good dad to Joe, Lily and Annie, but three out of four doesn’t make you a great dad. I’m a little tired of Kevin tooting his horn about what a terrific father he is, with no regrets about his children. You’d think he’d have great regret where Liam is concerned. Cayden is his THIRD son, not his second. I find that very sad.
March 27th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
I think that Kevin should not be expected to be the SAME father to Liam than the others because he was born in totally different circumstances and it would be unrealistic to think or expect he would be raised the same. These women that go and get pregnant should think before they do. Because ultimately its the child that suffers. I think fathers take way too much blame for women who go and get pregnant on purpose.