Shaquille O’Neal is a dad to six beautiful children who are hardly ever in the headlines unless it’s to highlight their latest basketball moves. Several of his kids have taken after their legendary father in the hopes of becoming professional ball players. However, the former Los Angeles Lakers star recently admitted that he couldn’t take credit for his “perfect” children regarding discipline. The former ball player may be as laid back as they come.
The four-time champion opened up about his parenting style during an appearance on Yahoo Life’s “So Mini Ways” series. “Growing up, I was the funny disciplinarian with my children,” he said. Shaq’s approach also finds him leaning in on real-life hardships that his children otherwise would not have experienced due to his success.
“The first thing I tell ’em is, ‘Yes, we are living like this. It’s only a small percentage that live like this.’ Then I take them around the corner to their cousin’s house and be like, ‘See what I told you,’ ” he said. “We’re here; we’re not gonna run away from it. You can keep being here, but this is what you have to do.”
The successful businessman shared that he never needed to be physically violent with his kids. “I never spank my kids. I used to chase them around like I was a wild dog. ‘Didn’t I tell you to come here?’ Especially like when they were little … So it was a little different, but it worked for me,” he explained.
The job hasn’t been easy, and the Hall of Famer is doing anything but taking sole credit. Shaq told the outlet, “I can truthfully say that, and I don’t like throwing this word around, but I got six perfect children.”
He added, “They’ve never given me problems. They’ve always listened; they’ve always been respectful. I can’t say I did it all by myself. I had two wonderful mothers who actually did most of the work.”
Shaq’s village consists of a 25-year-old daughter Taahirah, whom he shares with his former girlfriend, Arnetta Yardbourgh. He shares Shareef, 22, Amirah, 20, Shaqir, 18, and Me’arah, 15, with his ex-wife, Shaunie. The former couple’s three eldest children are all playing basketball on some level. Shaq is also a father to 25-year-old fashion designer Myles from Shaunie’s previous relationship.
