George Clooney recently shared a playful yet effective parenting strategy he uses with his six-year-old twins, Alexander and Ella, especially when it comes to keeping the magic of Santa Claus alive all year round.
The 62-year-old father revealed his unique approach during the premiere of his latest film, "The Boys in the Boat."
George and his wife, Amal, are parents to the twins, who are still very much enchanted by the idea of Santa Claus. This belief, George finds, can be quite advantageous.
"I have a little trick up my sleeve with the kids," George shared with People. "If they're not behaving well, even if it's July, I pretend to call Santa."
© GettyHe elaborated on his technique, explaining, "I’ll pick up the phone and say, 'Hey Santa, how are things?' Santa, of course, is interested in how the kids are doing." This strategy, he confessed, often leads to an immediate change in the twins' behavior.
The Oscar-winning actor humorously added that he has even gone as far as programming a friend's number in his phone as 'Santa,' making the act all the more convincing for Alexander and Ella.
© GettyGeorge's journey to fatherhood came after years of being one of Hollywood's most eligible bachelors.
He and the human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin connected through a mutual friend in April 2013, leading to a whirlwind romance that culminated in their marriage in September 2014. The twins were born three years later, in June 2017.
© GettyThe presence of his children has profoundly altered George's outlook on life. "Having kids shifted my focus from just my own interests to theirs," he reflected in a 2020 interview.
"Amal and I are incredibly grateful every day. We talk about how lucky we feel to have this family."
In a lighter conversation with Jimmy Kimmel on Tuesday, George humorously recounted his struggles with the bilingual abilities of his children. "They speak French and Italian, languages I don't know," he said with a laugh.
"I sometimes pretend to speak them, but the kids just give me a look that says, 'Dad, you're clueless.'"
© ANGELA WEISSDespite his global fame, George's children seem blissfully unaware of their father's celebrity status.
He recounted an amusing exchange with his Batman-loving son, where after revealing that he once played the iconic superhero, his son bluntly replied, "Not anymore."
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