Jonathan Scott, one half of the HGTV show Property Brothers, opened up about his experience with his girlfriend Zooey Deschanel. Deschanel has two young children, which Scott has been helping with co-parenting. It hasn’t always been easy, he admitted, per Too Fab.
During an interview with his brother, Jonathan Scott opened up about raising his step-kids: Charlie, 6, and Elise, 7. He honed in on the name he wanted to be referred to.
“They have their dad and they have a great relationship with him, so he’s daddy,” Scott shared. “I couldn’t say papa because that’s what they call their grandpa — though at one point we tried to change the narrative and get them to call me papa instead, but they weren’t having it.”
“Eventually, they came up with ‘my Jonathan,'” he continued. “So, whenever they tell a story they say, ‘There’s daddy, there’s mommy, and he’s my Jonathan.'”
But it was a while before that happened. The young children needed some time to warm up to the new man in their life. “One thing that was a struggle early on was that the kids didn’t necessarily run up and jump in my arms and give me a big hug.”
“I also remember several times where they’d be out with other kids and someone would say, ‘Oh your daddy’s so funny,’ and they’d be like, ‘That’s not my daddy, he’s my Jonathan,'” said Scott. “That would hurt a little bit.”
Even though it hurt his feelings, he knew they were coming from a different place. He admitted, it’s “not a mean thing to say; it’s just how they know [him].”
Part of his new parental role with Zooey Deschanel’s children was imparting the importance of an open dialogue. “Over time, I worked on expressing my feelings to them and the things that make me sad and happy. I think it’s good for kids to know that grownups have feelings, too.”
“Having that open dialogue with them is so important because as they get older, they’ll continue to keep those lines open.”
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