Ryan Reynolds jokes that stay-at-home dad life has been ‘hell’

It’s been a few months since he first announced he was taking time off from work to stay home with his three daughters, and Ryan Reynolds has some thoughts.

Ryan Reynolds shares daughters James, 7, Inez, 5, and Betty, 2 with Blake Lively. His plan was to take time off from all of his projects to spend more time with the whole Lively-Reynolds clan, and he’s done exactly that. On Monday’s episode of Today, he described what that time has been like.

“It’s been hell, I’m going right back. I’m taking the first movie I can find,” Reynolds joked. “No, it’s been great. I’m still busy but I get to be there for my kids in the morning and at night I get to put everyone to bed, so I love that.”

And then he said the eight words that all stay-at-home parents wish the world knew about what life is like when you’re home with your kids and not working outside the home:

“I’m no less busy, I’m just home more.”

Can we get an amen? Being a parent just means you’re busy, period. Whether you stay at home or work outside the home (or work from home), You. Are. BUSY.

Reynolds also says the collective energy of his daughters, which he describes as “unbridled,” gives him anxiety.

“Morning routine is just so unpredictable, there’s anxiety” he explained. “I lay awake at night and think ‘what’s going to happen to me in the morning, how’s this going to go down, are one of these children going to strike me.'”

Back in December, Reynolds shared why he was taking a break from acting. And honestly, parents everywhere can relate to every part of his feelings—the desire to not miss a single second of their lives, and the desperate need for a break. Parenting children contains multitudes!

“I’m just trying to create a little bit more space for my family and time with them,” he said. “You know, you don’t really get that time back. For me, it’s really about getting some quality time with my kids before they’re teenagers who loathe me.”

That sound you don’t hear is of thousands of parents silently nodding along. We’re all in this together, right?

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