Matthew McConaughey says being ‘less of a dad’ gets his teenagers to open up

Matthew McConaughey says he has learned a fewer tricks for getting his teenagers to talk.

Speaking connected Saturday's section of "The Drew Barrymore Show," the character shared 1 mobility that sewage his teenage girl talking for overmuch longer than usual.

"'Hey, Vida — my girl — what's it for illustration being a teenager these days?' Instead of 'Vida, really are you doing?' which is simply a reliable 1 to answer, right?" McConaughey said.

The 2nd mobility tin consciousness excessively personal, but the first mobility gives his girl much abstraction to unfastened up by taking immoderate of the attraction disconnected her personally, he said.

"Now they're talking successful the 3rd person, but they're talking astir themselves and their ain experience," McConaughey said, adding that it allowed the speech pinch his girl to spell connected "for a agelong time."

Getting his teenagers to unfastened up besides intends being observant astir really he reacts to what they share.

"I've had to beryllium almost little of a dada successful ways — beryllium little judgmental erstwhile they're saying something," McConaughey said.

When his kids show him thing that makes him want to instantly mobility their choices, he tries to hold backmost and listen instead.

"Then, they support sharing that stuff," he said. "And I'd alternatively cognize and not judge correct now, than not cognize and wonderment what the hellhole I'm expected to judge astir connected immoderate things."

McConaughey said he sees the teenage years arsenic a span betwixt being a genitor erstwhile his kids are young and becoming their friend later successful life.

During that transition, he has adopted much of a "big brother" role, sharing his ain mistakes to show his kids that he's been done akin struggles.

"That's a small of that pat connected the backmost like, 'Hey man, I cognize what you're talking about. Let maine show you the communicative astir what I did,'" he said.

McConaughey and his wife, Camila Alves, stock 3 children.

This isn't the first clip he has spoken astir his parenting style. In a 2020 question and reply pinch Town and Country magazine, McConaughey said being a bully genitor tin mean making choices that aren't easy.

"Loving a kid is simply a batch harder if you really springiness a damn. 'No' takes a batch much energy. It's a batch easier to opportunity 'yes,'" he said.

During an April section of "Bear Grylls Is Running Wild," McConaughey besides said astir starring by illustration arsenic a parent, peculiarly erstwhile it comes to school his children really to dainty others.

"The champion illustration you tin springiness your kids is really you dainty the mother," he said.