Tom Brady tries to step out of the spotlight when he's playing his favorite position: proud dad.
“I just grew up like a normal kid, and I think my kids have a different experience,” he shared on the Dec. 26 episode of the “Let’s Go” podcast, which he co-hosts with Jim Gray and Larry Fitzgerald.
Brady and guest John Legend explained what it's like for their kids to share their "father with the world."
"For me, when I'm out with my kids, I really want to be with them, and I really make it clear to people, ‘I'm sorry I'm just out here enjoying my time with my family,’" Brady said.
He explained that when attending one of his kids' sporting events, something he "loves" to do, the "attention" can get shifted to him.
"I don't want to take away from their moments," he said. "This is their important part of their life."
But at the same time, he uses those situations to point out the unique privileges the family experiences.
"I try to explain, 'Guys everything comes at a cost,'" he said. "The reason we get to go on a lot of fun vacations, and you guys go to schools and have people to help — we have to deal with some things that are different than everyone else."
Brady and his ex-wife Gisele Bündchen share two children — Benjamin, 14, and Vivian, 11. He also shares 16-year-old Jack with actor and model Bridget Moynahan.
Brady's key message to his children is simple: "There's no straight arrow for anyone in life."
"Everyone's going to find different curves and turns and twists," he said.
The football star's goal is to "just be a great parent," citing the simple moments he gets with his three children, like when Vivian wanted to make pancakes that morning for her brothers.
"We had a hot mess going on in the kitchen," he shared with a laugh.
Grammy Award-winning singer Legend said his kids (with wife Chrissy Teigen) are used to their parents' fame and "take it in stride."
"They know that their mom and dad are famous, that their friends see their mom and dad on television, and they see billboards with my face on it," he said.
"My son, he's my biggest fan, so he literally only wants to listen to my music," he adds with a laugh. "Literally, that's it."
CORRECTION (Dec. 28, 2023 at 6:45 p.m.): An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Tom Brady shares all three of his children with his ex, Gisele Bündchen. It has been corrected to state that Bündchen is the mother of his two youngest children and Brady's ex, Bridget Moynahan, is the mother of 16-year-old Jack.
