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He's a certified girl dad.
By Jonathan Alfano — Written on Jun 12, 2022
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is one of Hollywood's most successful stars, but being one of the world’s premier dads might be an even bigger accomplishment.
While his "Fast and the Furious" co-star Vin Diesel is known for saying “There's always room for family” on the big screen, The Rock has built up a family man reputation of his own over the years.
The "Moana" superstar is a father to three daughters: Simone Alexandra Johnson, 20, Jazmine Johnson, 6, and Tiana Gia Johnson, 4.
Like any good parent, he’s doing everything he can to help his kids achieve their full potential, and he does so by following some strict rules he sets for himself.
Here are 8 strict rules Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson follows when raising his kids.
1. Dwayne has his daughter's life goals planned out.
Dwayne is known for putting in the work, putting in the hours, and taking what’s ours, and that philosophy is something he hopes to impart to his kids as well.
In April 2017, The Rock shared a picture on Instagram of him and Jazmine, then 2, with a caption that laid out his lofty goals for teaching his daughter throughout her childhood.
“There are mornings in life where there are no words.. this is not one of those mornings," Dwayne said. “Jazzy, let daddy tell you his goals."
While most people are struggling through parenthood via trial and error, The Rock seems to have it all planned out.
“By 5, you'll be looking people in the eye when you firmly shake their hand," he writes.
"By 8, you'll know how to fish, drive daddy's pickup truck and do cardio. And by 10, you'll be able to directly say to people, 'Great job, I like it a lot, but let's see how we can make it better.'"
2. The Rock never stops showing his kids he loves them.
Being a celebrity as big as The Rock means he has a lot of commitment to the roles he plays.
While his stardom may at times separate him from his kids, being a dad is by far the job he takes the most pride in.
Shortly after the birth of Tiana in April 2018, Dwayne celebrated her arrival on Instagram with a caption confirming that his commitment to family comes before everything else.
“And to my third and youngest daughter, Tiana Gia - like I did when your two older sisters Simone Alexandra and Jasmine Lia were born, you have my word, I’ll love, protect, guide and make ya laugh for the rest of my life,” Johnson said.
“Your crazy dad has many responsibilities and wears many hats in this big ol’ world, but being your dad will always be the one I’m most proud to wear.”
3. He encourages them to follow their own paths, wherever they lead.
It seems easy for the children of celebrities to try and continue the legacy their parents have already laid out before them — they have a start to work with.
Dwayne, however, is actively encouraging his daughters to blaze their own trails.
Needless to say, The Rock was ecstatic to hear about her endeavors.
“First of all, what an honor that my daughter wants to follow in my footsteps but more importantly — follow in my footsteps sounds cliché — but she actually wants to create and blaze her own path, which is just super important,” Johnson said in an interview with Jimmy Fallon, "and she wound up being the youngest signee in the history of the company.”
Simone may have followed her dad into wrestling, but she made her own mark in 2020 as the youngest signee in WWE history.
Simone recently took another step towards forming her own identity when she adopted the stage name of Ava Raine, a moniker completely separated from her dad’s.
4. The Rock leads with love.
Johnson may be a big guy, but he has an even bigger heart.
After growing up an only child and struggling to form relationships, Johnson has vowed to treat his own kids with as much love as he can and tries to impart the same lesson to them.
“Throughout the years, throughout the ups and downs, I’ve realized that the most important thing that I can do with my daughter is lead our life with love,” Dwayne said on an episode of Oprah’s Master Class.
“Not success, not fame, not anything else, but I’m always here for you.”
5. Dwayne tries to cherish every moment.
For parents, watching their kids grow up can be a bittersweet experience. Obviously, it’s great to see kids grow through the years, but part of every parent wants to see them stay small and cute forever.
Johnson knows that someday his two youngest daughters won’t be as small as they are now, so he’s made it a priority to soak in every second with them while they are still little.
“I ain’t gonna be able to hold ‘em like this forever, so you better believe I snatch these cookies and love ‘em up every moment I can,” Johnson said on Instagram in December 2018.
“Plus, I know there’s gonna come a day where in daddy’s arms is the last place they want to be.”
6. He takes pride in their womanhood.
One may assume that The Rock, being the masculine icon that he is, would have preferred a son who he could share those father-son experiences with.
Dwayne, however, actually prefers to be the only man in the house.
While making an appearance on Good Morning America in 2019, The Rock explained how much he enjoys being surrounded by strong women and girls in his family.
“It’s emasculating and it’s amazing,” Dwayne said. “I gotta tell you, as men you’re like ‘oh yeah, we’re gonna raise my son.’ But having all daughters, it’s the greatest blessing I’ve ever had.”
7. Trust is everything when it comes to his relationship with his kids.
The key to any relationship is a strong sense of trust, and that between a parent and child is no exception.
The Rock has instilled great trust in his daughters since they were born, and they have reciprocated that trust as they’ve grown.
During the episode of Oprah’s Master Class, the Hollywood star reflected on a special moment he shared with his oldest daughter.
''There was a time where I said, 'Do me a favor, I want you to tell me what is the thing that you love most about our relationship,'” Dwayne said, "and she said, 'Well, that I trust you.'"
For any parent, that would be a very touching moment of connection to have with your child, but it felt even more so for The Rock.
"For a 13-year-old girl to say that to her dad, considering where I was at 13, the instability I had," he explained, fighting the tears in his eyes, "She said, 'Well, that I trust you and that we have a very special bond,' that moved me. And so, you know, at 13, she's saying that and I couldn't ask for anything else.''
8. The Rock puts the lessons he learned from past mistakes to use.
Johnson may be one of the biggest stars in the world today, but he’s made his share of mistakes just like everyone else.
However, just like most successful stars, The Rock has learned from his mistakes and emerged as a better person for it.
Some of the most valuable lessons he’s learned involve his parenting, and now he is using that knowledge to be the best dad he can be to his two youngest kids.
“After my divorce, I’ve learned so much,” Johnson told Fatherly.
“It’s allowed me to take those experiences with Simone and apply them to her little sisters. Now, years later, I get to have this wonderful relationship with Simone, who is 17, and this beautiful, powerful relationship with my younger daughters, who are 3 years old and 15 months. Through life and experience, I’m a different kind of dad.”
Jonathan Alfano is a writer who focuses on news and entertainment topics. Follow him on Twitter to keep up with his content.