'That daddy/daughter thing is REAL!’: Will Smith celebrates precious bond with Willow in adorable post
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Will Smith shared two gorgeous images and a humorous "Daddy/Daughter" meme in a touching tribute to his daughter Willow on February 19 on Instagram. The 54-year-old Oscar winner, who will co-star with Michael B. Jordan in 'I Am Legend 2', posted a meme on social media depicting a chiseled strong guy eating meat with a Bowie knife.
The text in the photo stated, "The woman who can command me hasn't been born yet," and the second half of the meme cuts to, "4 years later," and showed the same tough father having a tea party with his daughter while donning a tutu and fairy wings. "That Daddy/Daughter thing is REAL!" Will wrote in his caption, with Willow Smith leaving a heart-eyes emoji in the comments section.
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'Greatest period of my fatherhood'
The 'Emancipation' actor then added a couple of tender photos demonstrating his good relationship with his daughter, who is 22 years old. In one of Will's shots, Willow was shown being held by him in a field while in another, the two appeared to be having a sweet moment during a photoshoot.
"This has been probably the greatest period of my fatherhood," Will told PEOPLE in December 2022. "I was an okay father for my first son. I got a little bit better with Jaden. I got my sea legs with Willow." The 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' actor also has two sons, Trey, 30, who he shares with his ex-wife Sheree Zampino and Jaden, 24, with Jada Pinkett Smith. Referencing his infamous incident at the Oscars with Chris Rock, Will explained, "The last couple of years of my life, I have sufficiently suffered enough to have real wisdom. The last year with my kids has been the best parenting."
'Wasn't as proficient at loving somebody'
The 'Bad Boys' star also shared, "It's okay to make mistakes, and the best thing you can do for your kids is to learn and grow yourself. When we're trying to force our kids to do stuff and understand things that we didn't do, that we didn't understand, they see the bulls**t. And they lose respect. I found a place with my kids where I could say, 'I don't know,' and 'Let's figure it out, together. Let's go find out together but we're doing this as a team'."
Smith admitted that he found it difficult to "connect and love on a deep level" and talked about how his friendship with Willow helped him realize this. "I guess I noticed a little bit of a lack in my ability to connect and love on a deep level. I started noticing it with Willow. Willow was the one that was like, 'Daddy, you're not.' I noticed that I wasn't as proficient at connecting and loving somebody. I could provide – I'll lay it out, that's the easy part. But in those moments, when my kids were reaching for me, I was failing at the depth that they were seeking."