Dwyane Wade showed up every night on the basketball court. The Hall-of-Fame guard naturally imposed his will against the competition immediately after making the NBA. However, he couldn’t find the same success in connecting with his children. Regardless, he worked diligently to form a greater connection with them. He once revealed that he relied heavily on Tom Cruise’s dialogue from Jerry McGuire to be a better father.
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During the Heat’s wild 2010-11 season, Wade was dealing with personal matters outside of basketball. The spotlight was already on the electric shooting guard due to LeBron James and Chris Bosh joining forces with him. Additionally, Wade was in the middle of an intense custody battle with his then-wife Siohvaughn.
The court decided in favor of Wade and granted him custody of his two children, Zaire and Zaya. Despite his joy over that victory, the transition wasn’t easy. The Heat star didn’t know how to break the news to his kids that he’d won the custody battle. Wade opened up about the experience in his 2012 book, Dwyane Wade: A Father First.
“I still haven’t decided exactly how I’m going to raise the subject, other than borrowing from the psychology of one of my favorite movies, Jerry Maguire, about a sports agent, played by Tom Cruise, who uses the line with Cuba Gooding Jr.: ‘Help me help you,'” Wade said.
Wade ensured that the quote became woven into his parenting style with his children. It became a maxim that allowed him to be present with his children and learn directly from them what was the best way way to be there for them.
Wade hasn’t been shy about expressing his viewpoints when it comes to raising his children.
Wade emphasizes love as a parent
The core of every doctrine and lesson Wade teaches to his children is enriched in love. Just like the majority of parents, Wade finds himself confused on what to do in certain situations. However, he never stops loving.
“When you don’t know nothing, just love,” Wade said. “You’ve got to feel love. You’ve got to feel support. And then we can work everything else out.”
Wade doesn’t pay any mind to the outside noise that critiques his parenting skills. He has a beautiful, tight-knit relationship with his children and looks to continue to grow it during retirement.
