Control is an elusive thing. All parents want it, but most know it is impossible to get. Jon Cryer, recently opened up to People about what he has learned about parenting through the years. He is a father of two. His eldest son Charlie is now 23 and an adult in his own right.
Jon is relishing this phrase of parenthood. He likes being able to connect with his son as a grown-up. Jon’s daughter Daisy is 4 years old, so he is doing the dad thing all over again.
Jon shares Charlie with ex-wife Sarah Trigger and is raising Daisy with his second wife Lisa Joyner. “What I've learned from raising kids is that control is an illusion,” the Two and a Half Men alum mused. “You're bringing people into the world and who they become and where they go in the world is really up to them. It's a cliché, but it is all about letting go. It's all about realizing the limits of what you can do and seeing how this soul goes through their lives and the world.”
Jon enjoys all phases of parenthood. He is excited that Charlie is now out on his own in the world. It has brought them closer. “My older son is 23, and I love being an adult parent, because I can be myself more with my son. I can know him as an adult,” he went on to say.
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That does not mean Jon is completely hands-off with Charlie. He will always be there when Charlie needs him. “Obviously, I'll offer advice when he asks. But other than that, we can just be together, and the relationship can just be,” Jon explained.
Jon wants his son to be free to explore the world and find happiness on his own terms. He tries to impress on Charlie that his life doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s. “A friend of mine ran a restaurant,” he stated. “He just loved the people he worked with, so showing up for work every day wasn't awful for him and he could enjoy the ups and downs of the business.”
Ultimately Jon wants his children to follow their bliss and not care what other people think. “You could live with a bunch of roommates and work at a charity,” he stated. “You don't make a lot of money, but you're helping people, and that purpose fulfills you. That's actually more important than the money or the prestige of any other job.”
