Matthew McConaughey doesn't let his kids say the words 'lying,' 'hate,' and 'I can't'
Matthew McConaughey may be instantly recognizable on the street, but he tries to make sure his kids don't let fame go to their heads.
In order to do that, the Oscar winner laid down ground rules with his three children.
"We demand respect and trust within the household," McConaughey told Oprah on her new Apple TV+ series, "The Oprah Conversation," adding that he incorporates one of the rules his father taught him in his own childrearing.
"We do not allow lying in the house. You cannot say the word[s] 'I can't,' and you can't use the word 'hate,'" McConaughey said of their three main rules. "Those three words will get you in big trouble in our house."
McConaughey has two sons, 7-year-old Livingston and 12-year-old Levi along with one daughter, 10-year-old Vida with his wife, model and designer Camila Alves.
McConaughey said when it comes to raising his kids with Alves, he knows they're growing up in a more affluent environment than the one he did and that they're well aware he's a celebrity.
The couple leans into it, but still tries to instill the right values in them.
"We're successful. We have a nice house. People notice us. Our kids get that," McConaughey said. "But we don't want our children, nor do we allow ourselves, to go, 'Oh, well that's where my value lies — in the amount of money I have in my bank account or the fact that I'm famous."
"We do say, 'We're not apologizing for that and if a kid at school ever tells you, 'Oh, I bet you live in a big house because your dad's famous,' don't bow your head," said McConaughey, explaining that he tells his kids to own it. "Look up, and go, 'Yeah, we do actually live in a nice house. My dad works really hard to be as good as he can at his job,' which I do."
McConaughey said, at the end of the day, he and Alves are just trying to raise kind, respectful children.
"My hope is that they become autonomous, conscientious, competent young people in their life," he said.
The "Dallas Buyers Club" actor joined Winfrey to discuss his new memoir, "Greenlights," which was released October 20.
The two also discussed the actor's alternative job ideas (a high school football coach, teacher, and a symphony orchestra leader are a few examples) and reminisced about the tree house he built when he was around 12.
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