Kevin Costner goes where few men are willing to go
Kevin Costner has gone on record in admitting something that many new moms suspect, but few will ever have confirmed: The 52-year-old actor says that in the wee hours of the morning, he pretends to be sleeping in order to avoid having to care for his ‘night owl’ 5-week-old son Cayden.
I sometimes fake sleep so my wife will get up to feed or rock him.
Besides a depleted energy supply, Kevin said that having Cayden so late in life has made him more aware of his own mortality, saying that "my fundamental fear is that I will die and someone else will have to raise my new baby."
I fear I won’t get to coach him in terms of what it is to be a man.
Cayden is the first child for Kevin and his wife Christine.
Source: AHN
- Posted on Jun 18, 07 at 4:42PM
- Permalink
- 12 Comments
June 18th, 2007 at 5:06 pm
Hmm. Being a man is getting your ass outta bed to feed your child in the middle of the night.
June 18th, 2007 at 5:34 pm
One of the first lessons you can teach your son about being a man is that taking care of the children isn’t JUST a woman’s job.
Those wee hour times are some of the greatest memories you can create with your infants.
June 18th, 2007 at 5:49 pm
Well at least he’s man enough to admit it. I know tons of guys that do that, but would be caught dead before admitting it to their wives
June 18th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
If his big fear is that he’ll die and not be able to raise his son, then why does he pretend to sleep so he can get out of spending time with him? And Teagen and J, I totally agree that part of teaching his son to be a man is to take responsibility!
June 18th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
Even I’ve done that. Kids wake up in the middle of the night needing their pacifier, and I have faked being asleep so my husband will get up. Not ashamed to admit it. I’m too tired to trek down the stairs. It’s not like I was needed to nurse them, just going to plug a pacifier in their mouth.
June 18th, 2007 at 6:13 pm
While you’re all judging Kevin Costner for fessing up, I’ll tell you a humorous other side of this issue…Ever since my daughter was weaned, I do this all the time!!!!! And the first thing I do in the morning when my husband tells me she was up, I tell him “I know, I was pretending to sleep.” Now before you judge him, he would get up with her even if I wasn’t pretending to sleep.
Any other mums out there pull this one, or am I the only one?
June 18th, 2007 at 6:49 pm
I have a biased point of view on this one because my husband did exactly what Kevin is doing with Cayden. It was almost comical sometimes, he even faked sleep even as he was getting kicked out of the bed! The upshot being in the 8 months it took until our baby sleept overnight, my husband was up alone not once with our son and up with me and our son maybe 5 times. And let me say, I was far from ok with that. But I had to shake my head when he’d also get up after our son and I in the morning and yawn and talk about how tired he was. A sleep in for me – what sleep in? I have had maybe 5 as well even up to now when our son is 18 months. Seriously – “men”
June 19th, 2007 at 3:58 am
This makes no sense to me at all. First of all he’s in great shape, gorgeous as ever and I would hope takes good care of himself, or he wouldn’t look like he does.
Second, why does he even sleep where he can hear the baby. Kevin is the one that runs from talk show to talk show, makes movies, shows up for all possible charity and fundraising events to give his support and what does his wife do. She gets up with the baby, big deal.
I’m only guessing, but I doubt that with 4 children, Kevin was desperate to have a fifth. My guess is that his young wife wanted to make her mark in his life and if so, since Cayden is all she has to keep her busy, then what’s the problem.
I had three. My husband had to get up for work in the morning, why would I expect him to get up during the night. I slept around my babies hours.
She’s young, he’s busy and hard working, he’s been there, done that, time for her to step up to the plate and Kevin shouldn’t be disturbed at all, unless he’s on an extended vacation. That’s different.
Take care all.
June 19th, 2007 at 11:08 pm
Sandy – are you serious? Kevin shouldn’t be disturbed at all? I totally disagree. Mothers and fathers should take equal responsibility with their children. Of course there will be times when his working hours may mean he doesn’t get up but that when he should do other stuff to help his wife out. While he is doing all these talk shows etc, she is at home with the baby – a much more challenging role. As for Kevin not wanting a fifth – that is guessing and either way should have no bearing on whether or not Kevin picks up his share of baby duty when he is at home.
June 20th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
I think that both Bella and Sandy have good points. Yes, Kevin is makin the money and working hard to do so which means he should have a break now and then. But, I do believe that he should once in a while get up and feed or rock the new baby. I don’t think he needs to all the time, just sometimes. His wife isn’t the one making all the money, supporting both of them and the baby and going from talk show to talk show. His wife isn’t the one whose busy almost 24/7. Yes, Kevin should take responsibility of the child at times, but I think it’s really in the hands of his wife.
June 20th, 2007 at 10:16 pm
I agree with you sandy.
June 21st, 2007 at 11:37 pm
Hey, take it easy on Kevin. Remember he’s 52 and she’s 33. Also it’s my understanding that Christine is breastfeeding their baby. Call me crazy, but I nursed both of my sons and never expected my husband to get up in the middle of the night just to “keep me company”. Why should BOTH parents be sleep-deprived? My husband more than made up for it at other times when I needed a break and I’m betting Kevin does the same for Christine. He’s a good guy – cut him some slack!