Known as one of Hollywood’s strongest couples, Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively are celebrating 12 years of wedded bliss this week. After meeting on the set of their film Green Lantern in 2010, the pair found their match in each other and married in September 2012.
However, we can’t talk about Blake and Ryan’s love story without mentioning their four children: daughters James, nine, Inez, seven, and Betty, four, and son Olin, 18 months. Over the years, the couple has charmed us not only with their love story, but also with their refreshingly honest and down-to-earth approach to raising their kids.
From embracing the chaos of family life to addressing important world issues with compassion, Ryan, 47, and Blake, 37, have shown that their commitment to each other is matched only by their dedication to their brood.
Join HELLO! as we revisit some of the most delightful and inspiring moments of their parenting journey.
Blake and Ryan met on the set of their film Green Lantern in 2010
On embracing the chaos
In a candid conversation on the Today show, Ryan gave fans a glimpse into his chaotic, fun-filled life as a father-of-four, and the Deadpool actor didn’t hold back when discussing what it is really like.
“It’s mayhem. It’s absolute mayhem,” he revealed. “Every day, you’re just clinging by the skin of your teeth. I was always afraid that I would have boys, but now that I have girls, I should have always been afraid. They’re just as rough.”
Ryan also spoke of a feeling that any parent can relate to. “Four kids, it’s just a zoo! Like, you just surrender, right? You just surrender 24/7. When we had our fourth, I was so happy because I always wanted to make sure we had someone on hand to give me strep throat. And now we’ve recovered,” he quipped, highlighting the never-ending coughs and colds that seem to cycle through every young family.
On the Not Skinny but Not Fat podcast, Ryan also opened up about finding joy in being together as a family. “Blake always says that they’re all under our roof right now. We have them all, and that is a fleeting thing. It is not an infinite resource. So, kind of embrace the chaos of it all.”
Despite the challenges, the 47-year-old continued to reflect on the importance of savouring these moments. “Just think about what you would give in 40 years or 30 years to come back and enjoy this one moment,” he said.
“Blake always says that they’re all under our roof right now. We have them all, and that is a fleeting thing. It is not an infinite resource. So, kind of embrace the chaos of it all.”
“Four kids, it’s just a zoo! Like, you just surrender, right?” said Ryan
His wife, Blake, echoed his words in a 2016 interview with the LA Times and perfectly captured the chaos of parenthood. “Having a baby is just living in the constant unexpected,” she said. “You never know when you’re gonna get crapped on or when you’re gonna get a big smile or when that smile immediately turns into hysterics.
“It might be like living with a drug addict. But you have a baby, and you think, ‘I can’t imagine ever not having a baby,’ because they grow up so quickly. I’d be an 80-year-old woman with a baby if I could.”
On tackling serious issues
Ryan and Blake are known for their humour, charm, and constant jokes, and they often will not reveal the deeper, more serious side of their lives. But the couple have been open about how they approach serious issues with their four kids, discussing everything from mental health to the war in Ukraine.
In March 2022, Ryan shared with Extra how he talks to his young children about complex global events, like the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “My kids are seven, five, and two… but we don’t shy away from anything if they have questions,” he said.
The Canadian native believes in encouraging his kids to express their thoughts and feelings. “Anytime there’s anything out there that’s, like, a big news story, something that is epic and historic – and God knows we’ve had a lot of those over the last four or five years – I usually just say, ‘Do you have any questions about this?’
“I don’t really feel at that age it’s a good idea to just inject my own sort of perspective or narrative on that. I just want to know what they’re feeling and thinking, and that tends to work out all right.”
The actress, 37, pictured when pregnant with her third child
The couple also use this approach when addressing topics closer to home. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight in June 2021, Ryan opened up about his struggles with anxiety and how he discusses them with his children. “I have three daughters at home, and part of my job as a parent is to model behaviours, and model what it’s like to be sad, and model what it’s like to be anxious or angry. There’s space for all these things.”
In a rare candid moment, the Welcome to Wrexham star revealed how his experiences with anxiety have shaped his parenting. “I think it makes it better,” he told People in May this year. “Because your focus is less on yourself and more on your kids.”
This perspective allows him to empathize with his children’s experiences. “Now I love that I have anxiety; I love that I’ve had anxiety,” he added. “Because when I see my kids experiencing some of that, which is probably genetic, I know how to address it in a way that is compassionate, that actually allows them to feel seen.”
He also highlighted the importance of communication, saying: “I know that I can’t just fix it – I can communicate all that stuff to them and with them. I’m always grateful for it.”
“Having a baby is just living in the constant unexpected. You never know when you’re gonna get a big smile or when that smile immediately turns into hysterics,” said Blake
“I love that I’ve had anxiety,” said Ryan. “Because when I see my kids experiencing some of that, I know how to address it in a way that is compassionate.”
Blake shares a similar commitment to raising their children with awareness and empathy. In a heartfelt Instagram post, she wrote about the importance of educating themselves and their children about different perspectives and experiences.
“We’ve been teaching our children differently than the way our parents taught us. We want to educate ourselves about other people’s experiences and talk to our kids about everything, all of it. Especially our own complicity.
“We’re committed to raising our kids so they never grow up feeding this insane pattern, and they’ll do their best to never inflict pain on another being consciously or unconsciously.”
She went on to reveal that their family had donated $200,000 to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, in the wake of the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
The couple also teach their children about the importance of losing – not just winning
Ryan also touched on the value of teaching his children about resilience and failure in a People interview this year. Remembering advice from his friend Shawn Levy, he noted that the director “actually told me something that stuck with me forever, that people tend to only talk about their wins. But I think it’s really important for your kids, in particular, to know that you lose”.
He stressed that showing his children the reality of life, where things don’t always go as planned, is crucial. “You don’t get what you want all the time. Something you worked on really hard didn’t work. You feel like you said something embarrassing today; you did something that didn’t sit right with you. It’s just so important that [your kids] see that, and they don’t just hear, ‘Oh, Dad nailed it.’ Because you lose so much more than you win.”
He stressed that showing his children the reality of life, where things don’t always go as planned, is crucial. “You don’t get what you want all the time. Something you worked on really hard didn’t work. You feel like you said something embarrassing today; you did something that didn’t sit right with you. It’s just so important that [your kids] see that, and they don’t just hear, ‘Oh, Dad nailed it.’ Because you lose so much more than you win.”
On what the future holds for the family
The Hollywood power couple are not just content with their already chaotic family life; they may hear the pitter-patter of little feet again in the future. In July this year, Ryan joked te E! News about the possibility of growing their family. “The more the merrier,” he quipped. “As many as possible. As many little heartbeats as possible, just running around, wrecking stuff in the house. I love it. Let’s have more!”
The If actor has always been a family man. He spoke to Extra in 2019 about never wanting to be too far from his kids, even when they leave for college. “When they decide to go away to college, I’m going to be that guy, ‘That’s so funny, I’m going to NYU, too!'” he laughed. “I’m going to be so needy. I love being around them – it’s the best thing in the world.”
As their family continues to grow, it’s clear that their favourite role of all is that of mum and dad!
On having more children, Ryan said: “The more the merrier. As many little heartbeats as possible, just running around, wrecking stuff in the house.”
BY KATIE FITZPATRICK