Arnold Schwarzenegger Threw His Daughter’s Shoes In Fire & Says Parents Should ‘Teach Kids To Be Tough’

Oct 11, 2023

Many parents adopt various parenting styles, but one can largely agree that the goal is to raise decent kids who, in turn, become decent adults. For A-lister Arnold Schwarzenegger, his parenting goals are not far removed from this. 

During an appearance on "The Howard Stern Show" in October 2023, the actor shared his two cents on the evolution of parenting as opposed to past ideologies about raising kids. Schwarzenegger’s point of view has to do with admonishing parents not to raise emotionally fragile children. 

The actor stamped his place among the stars decades ago as a bodybuilding icon, actor, two-time governor of California, and politician. Schwarzenegger also holds dear his beloved role as a father of five and is proud of his approach to raising them. 

When it comes to parenting, the “Kindergarten Cop” actor has a wealth of experience. The seven-time Mr. Olympia shares four kids, Katherine, Christina, Patrick, and Christopher, with his ex-wife Maria Shriver. However, the actor had another child outside marriage. In 2011, the former Governor of California publicly revealed that he fathered a son, Joseph Baena, whom he shares with his longtime housekeeper, Mildred Patricia Baena. 

Shriver filed for divorce from Schwarzenegger in the same year after 25 years of marriage. Although it was a trying time for their family, his relationship with all the children remained fantastic. Katherine is Schwarzenegger’s oldest child and a Bestselling author. She married movie star Chris Pratt in 2019, and they have two children, Lyla and Eloise. 

 Christina is the “True Lies” actor’s second child, and she is into all things lifestyle and design. She is a founding member of the Special Olympics Founder’s Council. Arnold’s first son, Patrick, is also the first child who followed in his footsteps, career-wise. Patrick has appeared in movies including, “Benchwarmers,” and “Moxie.”

Schwarzenegger and Shriver’s youngest child, Christopher, appears to stay off the spotlight, but his dad celebrates his milestones on social media from time to time. Like Patrick, Joseph is an actor, but he gleaned some of his dad's bodybuilding skills. Although all of the actors' children are doing well for themselves today, they had to go through Schwarzenegger's tough-love parenting style.

In an interview with People in September 2023 for his new motivational book "Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life," Schwarzenegger opened up about his unusual but effective parenting style. The actor shared a memory of how he once threw Katherine’s shoes in a fire after she left them inappropriately. 

He noted that Katherine shared the same story with her daughter, Lyla, as a lesson. Schwarzenegger noted how Katherine narrated the story, "When I left my shoes twice? The third time, he burned them in front of me and I cried."

The award-winning actor also recounted another parenting scenario about his first son, Patrick. He relayed that the then nine-year-old Patrick had refused to learn to make his bed properly, so he decided to teach him a lesson. Schwarzenegger recalled: 

“I opened up the door to the balcony, picked up the mattress and threw it down with the bedsheets, the pillows, everything. I said, don't ever make someone come in and clean your room, clean your shower or make your bed, 'Because I taught you how to make the bed.' "

Schwarzenegger, who "just happened to grow up with nothing," revealed the reason for his parenting style, noting how he had to cherish and take proper care of everything he owned because he did not have a lot. 

In the interview on "The Howard Stern Show," Schwarzenegger warned against the country creating a "generation of wimps" and advised an embrace of perseverance. The Hollywood star shared:

"The more you struggle, the further you're gonna go, and the stronger you're going to get. It's just the way the world works."

The action star explained his narrative by stating that young kids in prevalent times tended to shy away and "baby themselves" from the struggle that comes with hard work in order to achieve success.

Schwarzenegger continued to reveal, "Anybody that tries to baby themselves, and pamper themselves and protect themselves — 'Oh, I don't want to feel bad, I don't want to go through any discomfort' — It's over."

"The Terminator" star proceeded by asking a rhetorical question addressing the history of the country and those who were its foundation. Schwarzenegger opined, "Is it people that slept in? Was it people that were wimping out?"

He answered and talked about how men and women who were brave and hardworking were the ones who "made this country great." Schwarzenegger then advised, "continue this way. Don't start creating a generation of wimps and weak people."

He added for good measures: “Let's not over-baby people. Let's go and teach kids to be tough, to do sports, to study and struggle and go through these kind of painful moments sometimes.”

At a young age, Schwarzenegger put in the work and became one of the legends of his time, and that was the same orientation he passed on to his children.

What do you think about Arnold Schwarzenegger's approach to parenting? Do you agree with his views on raising the next generation? Let us know, and be sure to pass this on to other Schwarzenegger fans.