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Ludacris says he and 'Fast X' co-star Vin Diesel share this parenting move
Welcome to So Mini Ways, Yahoo Life's parenting series on the joys and challenges of childrearing.
Ludacris is a Grammy-winning musician, a rapper who performs in front of sell-out crowds and an actor staring in blockbuster movies. But none of those accomplishments provide what he describes as “the greatest feeling in the world.” That honor goes to spending time with all four of his daughters, who range in age from 2 to 21.
Squeezing in quality family time can be tricky given his jam-packed schedule. The “What’s Your Fantasy” singer is currently on tour with Janet Jackson, overseeing the Netflix children’s show he created, Karma’s World, and preparing for this month’s release of his new movie Fast X, part of the Fast & Furious franchise.
“If I’m working too much, I’ll bring them to me. I’ll fly them to where I’m at,” Ludacris, 45, says. “[Fast & Furious franchise producer and actor] Vin Diesel’s very good about that," he adds. "He’s a very private person, but the one thing I know he would be OK with me sharing is he does not go two weeks without seeing his family. He can be anywhere in the world, if he’s shooting a movie, he’ll fly his entire family to him. I was already the same way, but it felt good to see someone just as busy, if not more than I am, to make it understood and reinforce how that’s perfectly fine for you to do that.”
When Ludacris, whose real name is Christopher Bridges, has all his girls together, he says there’s one thing everyone likes to do: play games. It’s one of the reasons he knew his family would be a good fit to collaborate with the new Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treats campaign, “Eat. Treat. Compete.”
Starting May 8, shoppers can purchase a limited-edition game kit that includes five different games and a Rice Krispies Treat. The kit, which costs $20, is available through May 20 while supplies last. Aside from families participating in good, delicious fun, the Boys and Girls Club of America also will benefit from purchases of the game kit. The organization that fosters safe spaces for children will get a donation of more than $100,000 on behalf of Rice Krispies Treats and Ludacris, as well as proceeds from each game set sold.
“I hope to bring fun back to snack time worldwide,” says Ludacris, who recalls enjoying Rice Krispies Treats from a young age. “Getting the stickiness off your fingers was always a task, but that was part of the fun because then you get to lick it off your fingers.”
The sticky treats are used as a reward in Ludacris’s home. His daughters get them when they complete their homework, do their chores or exemplify good sportsmanship on game night, which he says can be challenging.
His home is stocked with games like Monopoly, Clue, Uno, Kids Against Maturity and more. No matter the game, the competition is always there.
“There’s a rule that whoever wins, everybody has to say congratulations to that person and sometimes it gets a little difficult,” Ludacris says. “You know, when you have an 8- and a 9-year-old in the house, it gets competitive sometimes, but they’re learning to not be sore losers.”
There’s lots of laughing, joking and silliness going on, but Ludacris says there’s a touch of strictness to his parenting style.
“I ride that fine line of being strict, but also wanting to befriend them,” he says. “They know that I’m their parent, but they can also talk to me like a friend.”
His four girls see him in work mode, whether that be acting or performing in front of a crowd, which earns him cool dad points. Even his youngest is starting to grasp what Dad does and loves it. Social media posts show her dancing off-stage at his concerts.
That’s when they think dad is “the greatest guy ever.” But he likes to keep his girls on their toes.
“I’m singing or doing silly stuff 'cause I am a silly guy who likes to have fun and sometimes I embarrass them in front of their friends,” Ludacris says. “This is what parents are supposed to do.”
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