Katherine Schwarzenegger and Chris Pratt have welcomed three children together since they wed in 2019, but prior to their romance, the Guardians of the Galaxy star was already a proud dad to his son.
The actor co-parents 12-year-old Jack with his ex-wife, Anna Faris, from whom he split in 2017, and it seems when he and Katherine started dating a year later, his new girlfriend was keen to make sure she came prepared regarding step-parenting.
Katherine Schwarzenegger's tips for co-parenting seamlessly
The writer, who is the daughter of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver, was chatting on the podcast, Parenting & You, with Dr. Shefali, when she explained the "work" behind being a stepparent and how she took measures to make sure she could handle it with ease.
"Number one thing I say is get a step parenting therapist or step parenting coach, because I got that right when we got engaged, and it's been incredibly helpful for me and also just understanding my role as a stepparent," Katherine said.
"It takes a lot of work, but it works when everybody is willing to put in the work."
The mother of three continued: "And when it comes to ego, that definitely pops up for me, for sure, I always go back to understanding that this isn't about me, it's about the child."
Katherine and Chris Pratt's expanding family and quest for privacy
After getting together in 2018, Katherine and Chris got engaged in 2018 and wed the following year.
The couple held their intimate wedding at the San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito, California, which can host up to 200 guests for events, and boasts beautiful views of the Channel Islands and the Pacific Ocean.
Since then, the family have welcomed three children. Their eldest, Lyla, was born in August 2021, Eloise, who was born in 2022 and their son Ford, who they welcomed last November.
The famous pair mostly keep their family out of the spotlight in order to protect their children's privacy, but they have shared photos of their family life on social media with their faces concealed.
Katherine also spoke about how desire for her children to have privacy in another podcast appearance in 2023.
"It was such an intentional choice of my parents [when I was] growing up to give the gift of privacy," she shared at the time, adding: "My mom and my dad made it a point to not have us go on red carpets, not have us be shown around, and really allow us the privacy that allowed us to have as normal a childhood as possible.
"It's such an important thing that my parents gave me that Chris and I really wanted to be able to give to our kids as well. It was a very intentional choice and one that I'm super protective of."