Tom Cruise is on the cover of Esquire this month, which features the title “How To Be a Man”. The issue could also be called “How to Be a Dad” as Cruise doles out the parenting advice. “I’ll never forget the moment I became a dad. It’s hard to describe–that level of responsibility, the desire to give such joy. [And] the clarity: nothing is more important than this.”
Cruise first became a dad when he and ex-wife adopted their daughter, Isabella, seventeen years ago. They subsequently adopted a boy, Connor, just two years later. Cruise later married Katie Holmes in Italy and the pair had a daughter, Suri, age 4.
Cruise and Kidman were married for nearly ten years until a very abrupt divorce. Kidman was said to have been devastated when she found out that Cruise was having a biological child with Holmes. Though the pair remain on good terms, the actress is said to believe that biological children create a bond stronger than wedding rings between a couple. Speaking of their first daughter, Cruise says, “I remember that first night, just staring at Bella. I was checking her every second, just looking at her, feeling that immediate bond. I was probably looking at her so much I was keeping her up.”
And of course the all-star Dad, who had a lackluster relationship with his own father, has some advice to give to upcoming parents. “It’s easy to be cynical. Making the choice not to be cynical is important. You can keep dwelling on what didn’t work, or you can figure out how to fix it. Which is what being a parent is all about.”
