Tom Brady knows it can be hard for his children to be ‘normal kids’

Tom Brady knows that his children face different expectations because of who he is.

“They’re just normal kids trying to develop their own relationships with their friends, go to school and learn and grow,” Brady tells TODAY.com on a video call. “Because of who our kids are (people say), ‘You should be good at this’ or ‘You should look like that’ but that’s not the case. Everyone is an individual.”

“What do I hope for as a parent? That they find something they love to do and a great group of friends who love them for who they are.”

The former NFL quarterback for the New England Patriots and then the Tampa Bay Buccaneers shares his eldest child, Jack, 15, with previous partner Bridget Moynahan, and his two youngest, Benjamin, 13, and Vivian, 10, with supermodel Gisele Bundchen, who he married in 2009 and divorced in 2022.

“Our children have unique challenges (that are) different from ones I had growing up,” he notes. “There are a lot of expectations because of who their mom or their dad is, and it’s not necessarily fair to them because they didn’t choose that.”

A fond moment for Brady was cheering for Jack while he played football last year.

“I’m very enthusiastic. Watching him play was so fun for me,” Brady recalls.

"Fatherhood is a great responsibility — being available and present is the most important thing," Brady tells TODAY.com. "Something that I continue to work on is making sure I have enough time to connect. It’s always a work in progress."

Brady, who stars in a new campaign with rental car company Hertz called "Hertz. Let’s Go!" says he tries to maximize time with his kids.

"The car is great because they can't go anywhere," he says, "For me, those moments in the car are some of the best because ... you’re listening and focused ... and you can maybe help guide them through something they’re not so sure about."

A difficult moment for the dad unfurled in 2018 when a kiss between Brady and his son Jack, documented on the former Facebook series "Tom vs. Time," had some people sneering.

"I had kissed my son in a very loving way — I love my children more than life itself," he says. "There was a lot of grief at one point. Unfortunately it had more of an effect on (Jack) because he got grief. And it was disappointing that people would look at the love between a father and a son and think that it didn’t come purely from the heart."

"We all need more love in this world and way less division and separation," says Brady. "(We need to) be more compassionate, empathetic, and gentle on everyone, even with ourselves."

This article was originally published on TODAY.com