Jerry Seinfeld Loves Being a Parent

February 13, 2010 by tiffanyb
Filed under: Celebrity Baby News

The father of three, Jerry Seinfeld, says that he loves being a parent and opens up on his parenting philosophies and his kids.

Jerry Seinfeld is returning to television this year but not in a sitcom. He is the executive producer of the new television show The Marriage Ref, which has guest judges picking a “winner” in marriage disputes. The funnyman recently opened up to Parade magazine about parenting and his family life.

When it comes to having kids, Jerry says, “If I was younger, I’d have six kids by now. I love it. I love having a family and kids and all the madness. There is no aspect of it I don’t like. Even when it’s horrible, I love it. I didn’t realize how tired of single life I was and how ready I was for married life.”

Jerry also revealed his three rules on how not to be a parent. “[I call them] the Poison Ps.” [The first is Praise] “We tell our kids, ‘Great job!’ too much.” [The second is Problem-solving] “We refuse to let our children have problems. Problem-solving is the most important skill to develop for success in life, and we for some reason can’t stand it if our kids have a situation that they need to ‘fix.’ Let them struggle—it’s a gift. [And the third poison is Pleasure] Giving your child too much pleasure.” At that point of the interview, a woman comes in the deli with her three young daughters and buys them all huge cookies. “Can you believe this?” Seinfeld says. “It’s 5:30 p.m.—when will they have dinner? At 8?”

The reason why parents do the Poison P’s? According to Seinfeld, “Do you want to hear my latest theory? It’s a little far-fetched. We feel so guilty for destroying that innocence—which is what we did—so we’re now trying to repair that by creating perfect childhoods for our children. The reason we overdo it so much is because we feel so bad about it.”

The comedian also revealed that his kids now inspire his comedy act. “Kids are a great creative corridor that I didn’t have before, didn’t know existed.” For all the changes in his life, he remains focused on comedy. “I’m not that dimensional. All I’ve cared about is comedy. It’s still all I care about, other than family. It’s the only thing that absorbs me, interests me, keeps me going. When I do other things—even when we go on vacation—they don’t interest me. Comedy still tops everything else I do.”

Jerry has three children with his wife Jessica - Sascha, 9, Julian, 6, and Shepherd, 4.