The 43-year-old “Magic Mike’s Last Dance” actor talked about his newest children’s book, “The One and Only Sparkella and the Big Lie,” while making an appearance on “TODAY with Hoda and Jenna.”
Channing Tatum is sharing his experiences as a single father.
The Magic Mike’s Last Dance actor, 43, talked about his most recent children’s book, The One and Only Sparkella and the Big Lie, and how the books helped him as a parent to daughter Everly, 10, whom he shares with ex-wife Jenna Dewan, 42, on TODAY with Hoda and Jenna.
Tatum responded, “I have no idea, I don’t know,” when Kotb questioned what kind of parent he is. Just trying to make ends meet. You’re probably simply trying, like any other parent, to keep your kids out of trouble. But you already know you will.
“When I found out I was going to have a child, I was like, ‘Alright, I’m probably going to be the parent who was probably going to get her in more trouble than I kept her out of.’” he continued. You start to understand, “Oh, I have to set boundaries,” as they get a little older.
Interestingly, kids demand boundaries even though they claim not to want them. When she simply comprehends the guidelines, her anxiety and tension levels decrease. We refer to them as the home rules even though they are not even your rules.
This list of house rules states that “you gotta always take your plate to the sink, gotta pick up your clothes, gotta brush your teeth — just really normal, simple stuff.”
Tatum became a single father about the time he initially began working on the Sparkella stories, according to Bush Hager.
When asked if playing the role had taught him how to be a parent, the actor responded, “I didn’t plan to be a single dad, that was not in the cards, or at least in my planning.
I was also somewhat anxious. She’s a girl, I said, thinking. I was searching YouTube for instructions on how to braid her hair. I didn’t want to be the dad who dropped her off at school with the appearance of having just camped out on the sidewalk. So, in a way, that is how this book series got its start. It was primarily me learning how to communicate with a little girl.
Also disclosed by the actor was Everly’s desire to watch Taylor Swift perform live. Kotb’s response was, “You have to [take her]!”
His daughter enjoys Celtic Irish music as well. She enjoys Celtic Irish dancing and is a dancer.
He said, “She really loves everything magical — fairies, elves — and when you look on YouTube, all the clip art for Celtic Irish music is fairies, so I believe that’s how we started it. This is how Everly seems to have picked up her interest in music. She eventually developed an obsession with Celtic music. Since we’ve been practicing Celtic Irish dancing, we’ve only listened to that for the past two years.
