“Sometimes people just need to be heard and mirrored and validated and then it’s done.”

Ryan Reynolds revealed what he’s learned by being married to Blake Lively and what it’s like having three daughters.

In an episode of the new season of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Lettermanthat was released on Netflix on May 20, Reynolds told Letterman about his kids, lessons he’s gotten from his wife and even what his family was like growing up.

When it comes to how his parents wanted to raise their kids compared to how he and Lively want to raise their kids now, Reynolds said there is a bit of a difference.

“My parents probably might’ve had the attitude of ‘be happy, I want to raise my kids to be happy’ and I think my feeling and Blake’s feeling as well, she shares this, is to raise our kids to be self-aware,” he said. “Self-aware that any feeling you feel is okay.”

“I certainly learned that in a marriage you don’t need to be Captain Solution with everything, sometimes people just need to be heard and mirrored and validated and then it’s done,” Reynolds continued.

Letterman also asked the Canadian actor if there is any irony in growing up in a family of all boys and then ending up having all girls.

“The only thing that strikes me is that I think my dad would’ve loved them,” he said. “I think he would’ve really been softened by them in a way that he wasn’t with boys.”

Reynolds shared that his eldest child James, who was born in 2014, is named after his dad.

“My dad died right when she was born basically so he got to FaceTime her for a quick second and then he passed,” he said.

Reynolds and Lettermen talked about Lively and their kids quite a bit during the episode of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, including when the Canadian revealed she’s the one who “runs the show” at home.

He also said that it would be “pretty exciting at first” to take care of his three daughters by himself but there does need to be a “division of labour.”

“Generally, when I’m shooting a movie, we all go together and when she’s shooting a movie, we all go together and I watch the kids,” Reynolds said.

Her ears must have been burning by them talking about her so often because, at the end of the episode, Lively made a surprise appearance.

While in the kitchen of their house, Letterman shouted “bye Blake” and the camera caught her poking her head around a corner!