According to Tom Brady, tackling the game of parenthood is no easy feat.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion didn't sugar-coat the challenges of raising three kids during a candid interview on the Drive with Jim Farley podcast.
According to Tom, "the hardest thing" about parenting is to teach his children about humility and to keep them grounded when they are growing up privileged. The 44-year-old athlete shares Benjamin, 12, and Vivian, 9, with his wife of 13 years Gisele Bündchen, and also co-parents Jack, 14, with ex Bridget Moynahan.
"I look at my life, and my family, and it's so fast," he shared in the July 6 episode. "We have people that clean for us. We have people that make our food. We have people that drive us to the airport if we need that. You know, we get off a plane and there's people waiting there for us, and we get ushered in."
Tom noted that it's an entirely different world that he and Gisele grew up in, so to experience this kind of lifestyle is new for everyone in their family.
"I think the hardest thing for us as parents, myself and my wife...My wife grew up in rural Brazil...very small kind of farming town, very simple girl," Tom shared. "There are two bedrooms in their house—one for their parents and one for her and her five sisters. I grew up in a middle-class family in California. My dad worked his ass off for our family. My mom stayed at home [and] took care of us kids, and I saw my mom work every day to make food for us at night and wash our clothes."
However, growing up with wealth makes it a little more challenging to have perspective.
"That's my kids' reality," the NFL star explained, "Which is the hard part to say, 'Guys, this is not the way reality really is...What can we do about that?'"
Tom said that it's important for him and Gisele to "create experiences that are along the lines of what most kids go through," but knows they'll enjoy things "that a lot of kids never do have."
"It's hard to make those things up, too," Tom admitted. "I can't say 'Hey, we're gonna go back and live on Portola Drive in San Mateo (Tom's hometown).' It's a pretty hard thing to do just for privacy purposes."
"I don't know the right answer as a parent," he continued. "There's a lot of things I'm still learning...I know I've screwed up a lot of things. That's the reality of being a parent."
According to Tom, he hopes that his kids will realize the things that make their "lives more convenient" is considered a luxury, adding, "That is something that is not what every kid goes through. It's the biggest challenge that we have as parents."