Tom Brady Says He's 'Screwed Up a Lot as a Parent': 'Probably the Hardest Job All of Us Have'

Mar. 15, 2025

Tom Brady with his kids Vivian, Benjamin and Jack.Photo:Maddie Meyer/Getty

Maddie Meyer/Getty

Tom Bradyis getting honest about parenting.During an appearance at the Fortune Global Forum in New York City on Tuesday, Nov. 12, theNFL legend, 47, spoke about being a father tohis three kids;John “Jack” Edward Thomas, 17, whom he shares with his exBridget Moynahan, andBenjamin Rein, 14, and Vivian Lake, 11,whom he shares with ex-wifeGisele Bündchen.“Being a parent is probably the hardest job all of us have,” Brady said, per a clip sharedon X(formerly known as Twitter).“And we screw up a lot and I’ve screwed up a lot as a parent,” he admitted.“I don’t want to seem like I’m some expert in parenting, because I’m certainly not that,” the former New England Patriot continued.The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!Brady added that he tries to “be dependable and consistent for them” and supportive of what “they want to do in life” while talking about his “three amazing kids.“He also gave a shoutout to his ownparents, Galynn and Tom Brady Srfor supporting him when he “was that long shot as a kid, who was the backup quarterback on a freshman team.““They never said, ‘Man, don’t do that. It’s gonna be too hard. Let’s do something different. Let’s think about another backup plan,' " Brady told the audience. “They kinda said, ‘You know what? Go for it. Whatever you wanna be, go for it.' ““And that’s probably my parenting style,” he continued.Tom Brady with his kids Vivian, Benjamin and Jack.Tom Brady/InstagramBrady has often spoken openly about fatherhood alongside sharing regular family updates on social media.During an appearance onDeepCut with VicBlendsin April, he said that he believedyou can improve at being a parent.“You get better as a parent, I think, because you know when you’re a young parent, you don’t really know what you’re doing. You’re winging it. You’re trying to wing it,” Brady said.Bridget Moynahan, Tom Brady, Gisele Bündchen.Dia Dipasupil/Getty; Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty; Manny Hernandez/WireimageNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“So I think when you become a parent, you’re trying new things for the first time, you’re going through all these things for the first time, so you don’t exactly know always the right thing to say.““As you go, you get a little bit better at it, you get a little more understanding of it and you try to just continue to kind of refresh your skills as a parent,” Brady added."‘Am I listening or am I talking? Am I mentoring, or am I disciplining? Am I holding them accountable or am I letting them get away with things?’ ” the proud dad said at the time.

Tom Bradyis getting honest about parenting.

During an appearance at the Fortune Global Forum in New York City on Tuesday, Nov. 12, theNFL legend, 47, spoke about being a father tohis three kids;John “Jack” Edward Thomas, 17, whom he shares with his exBridget Moynahan, andBenjamin Rein, 14, and Vivian Lake, 11,whom he shares with ex-wifeGisele Bündchen.

“Being a parent is probably the hardest job all of us have,” Brady said, per a clip sharedon X(formerly known as Twitter).

“And we screw up a lot and I’ve screwed up a lot as a parent,” he admitted.

“I don’t want to seem like I’m some expert in parenting, because I’m certainly not that,” the former New England Patriot continued.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

Brady added that he tries to “be dependable and consistent for them” and supportive of what “they want to do in life” while talking about his “three amazing kids.”

He also gave a shoutout to his ownparents, Galynn and Tom Brady Srfor supporting him when he “was that long shot as a kid, who was the backup quarterback on a freshman team.”

“They never said, ‘Man, don’t do that. It’s gonna be too hard. Let’s do something different. Let’s think about another backup plan,' " Brady told the audience. “They kinda said, ‘You know what? Go for it. Whatever you wanna be, go for it.' "

“And that’s probably my parenting style,” he continued.

Tom Brady with his kids Vivian, Benjamin and Jack.Tom Brady/Instagram

Tom Brady/Instagram

Brady has often spoken openly about fatherhood alongside sharing regular family updates on social media.

During an appearance onDeepCut with VicBlendsin April, he said that he believedyou can improve at being a parent.

“You get better as a parent, I think, because you know when you’re a young parent, you don’t really know what you’re doing. You’re winging it. You’re trying to wing it,” Brady said.

Bridget Moynahan, Tom Brady, Gisele Bündchen.Dia Dipasupil/Getty; Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty; Manny Hernandez/Wireimage

Dia Dipasupil/Getty; Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty; Manny Hernandez/Wireimage

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“So I think when you become a parent, you’re trying new things for the first time, you’re going through all these things for the first time, so you don’t exactly know always the right thing to say.”

“As you go, you get a little bit better at it, you get a little more understanding of it and you try to just continue to kind of refresh your skills as a parent,” Brady added.

“‘Am I listening or am I talking? Am I mentoring, or am I disciplining? Am I holding them accountable or am I letting them get away with things?’ ” the proud dad said at the time.

source: people.com