Some of Tony Hawk’s kids are as fearless as he is when it comes to skateboarding — but he isn’t too thrilled about it.
“Some [of my kids] are a little less concerned with mortality than others,” Hawk, 56, exclusively told Us Weekly while promoting his partnership with Starbucks. “Those are the ones that give me the greatest concern. But most of them are in their adult ages now, so they’ve kind of found what their comfort levels are, know their limitations. But when they were younger, there were times when it was frightening.”
The former professional skateboarder shares son Riley, 31, with first wife Cindy Dunbar, sons Spencer, 24, and Keegan, 22, with second wife Erin Lee, and daughter Kadence, 15, with third wife Lhotse Merriam. Hawk is also stepdad to wife Catherine Goodman’s two sons, Miles and Calvin, whom she shares with her ex-husband.
Since some of his kids are big risk takers, Hawk noted that at times he had to “stop [them] in their tracks” and have a talk with them.
“I know it’s exciting and I know that you are imagining yourself doing it, but you don’t have the foundational skills to get it done,” he recalled telling them. “So, I mean, we’ve had tears over it for sure.”
Aside from being concerned with their safety, Hawk explained how different it is to raise boys vs. his teenage daughter, Kadence.
Tony Hawk. Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for The Skatepark Project
“Much different in terms of the amount of attention,” he shared with Us. “[With boys] it was just constant motion, constant. … And with girls, it’s a much more focused energy and not so frantic. Although, my daughter is now in theater [and] she does play lacrosse, so it’s starting to turn the other way where it’s nonstop obligations.”
Even though most of his kids are adults now, Hawk said it is still a challenge when it comes to “devoting” time to all of them.
“Even though most of them are out of the house, they still require the attention,” he said. “In fact, sometimes that’s even more challenging because they need actual real-life help, [like] taxes and stuff like that. So to be able to give them the right amount of attention is probably the biggest challenge.”
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Hawk’s life advice seemed to pay off, because his eldest son, Riley, recently tied the knot in October 2023 with the late Kurt Cobain’s daughter, Frances Bean Cobain.
“My only comment to him was I’m just thankful you’ve found your person and that you already understand what it takes to be committed to grow together, but also to be your individual person,” Hawk noted. “That’s something that I didn’t discover until much later. And he’s 31 and I just know that he’s in the right place.”
Aside from spending his time with his kids, Hawk also partnered with Starbucks to encourage people to try making cold coffee at home with the new Starbucks Iced Coffee Blends and Starbucks Cold Brew Concentrates.
“You used to see me do stunts that have the disclaimer, ‘Don’t try this at home,’ and with the new Starbucks ice blended coffees, we are encouraging people to try it at home,” he told Us. “This is your chance to actually make it at home just as well.”
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
