Father of 4 Daughters, Matt Damon Never Expected to Be Surrounded by Women but Fatherhood Taught Him Girls Are Smarter

Bourne Identity actor Matt Damon may be a typical action star on screen but at home, he is outnumbered by his four daughters and wife. And this doting dad has learned a lot from his kids, including that girls are smarter.

Married since 2005 to Luciana Barroso, with whom he fell in love at first sight, Damon has had the chance to experience being a parent right from the start of their relationship. Barroso had a 4-year-old daughter, Alexia, when they met and he "jumped into the deep end" with her, according to Parade. The Departed actor became the "extra dad" for Alexia, now 21. What he learned while parenting his stepdaughter became a useful lesson for the future since he went on to have three daughters, Stella, Gia, Isabella, with his Luciana.

"I never expected to be surrounded by girls,  but it’s great. ...You never know which way life’s going to take you," Damon told TODAY IN 2012. "I’m learning so much, not the least of which is how much smarter girls are. I operated under the assumption that us guys had a chance, but I realized when I was completely wrapped around my 2-year-old’s finger, and she knew it. If they can do that to us at 2 years old, when they’re fully grown we really don’t stand a chance."

He has always been open about his feelings about fatherhood and how much it changed him. Today, he is known as a doting father in Hollywood. The Martian actor told TODAY that being a parent has made him feel like the Grinch in The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. But, like the Grinch that evolved and grew.

"In the end when his heart grows five sizes, that’s what [becoming a father] felt like. It was like everything expanded in a way that I didn’t know was possible. And it was instant," he said.

A few years later, the Talented Mr. Ripley actor's feelings about becoming a father had not changed and he continued to gush about how lucky he was to become a parent. In 2015, he told ET, "I think everything changes in little wonderful ways. My whole life opened up when I became a dad. I'm very much on the receiving end of all the good stuff."

The only thing this dad was afraid of is "bodily fluids." Like any dad, he knows it's not possible to avoid that rabbit hole. "I probably worried more about changing diapers and bodily fluids and all that before I became a father," Damon said. "The reality is that once it’s your kid it’s not a big deal at all." The then 45-year-old joked, "I probably wouldn’t want to change YOUR kid."

As loving as he is to his children, he makes sure that they don't grow up spoilt. So, when boxes of free toys show up at his home, as a result of his fame, he sends them off to people who need it more. This strict parenting policy has caused some tension in his home though. However, while the Good Will Hunting actor wants the best for his kids he also wants them to be raised as good people.

"They don’t need anything. So we send everything on to people who need it. When people send stuff to my kids, my kids have everything they need so we pass it right on. This is the life we’re giving them. It’s hard to figure out how to try to give them perspective. It’s a source of tension in the family at times," he told Today.

References: 

https://www.today.com/parents/matt-damon-fatherhood-taught-me-girls-are-smarter-1C7406286

https://www.today.com/parents/here-s-how-oscar-winner-matt-damon-avoids-raising-spoiled-t119994

https://parade.com/133669/brookehauser/matt-damon-low-key-life/