Tom Hanks Admits He Scarred His Four Kids By Making Same Mistakes His Parents Made

Tom Hanks shared some of his parenting concerns during a recent episode of Jay Shetty’s On Purpose podcast while reflecting on his childhood. The iconic actor is a proud father of four—Colin, Elizabeth Ann, Chet, and Truman—from his first and current marriages.

Some of his kids have followed his trail in the acting industry, especially his first son Colin, who got nominated for an Emmy and is also a director and voice-over actor. Last year, Hanks defined his children’s career paths, noting that entertainment is the family business they grew up to love.

Tom Hanks discusses his parenting mistakes

While his kids have seemingly turned out fine, Hanks has a few regrets about how he parented them. He admitted to making some honest mistakes that may have scarred them, adding that he tried to revisit some as they got older.

The 68-year-old reflected on his childhood and revealed that his father lacked the patience to teach him simple things like using tools, and he nearly replicated this parenting style with his kids. Thankfully, Hanks believes the beautiful memories he has made with his children can make up for his errors.

Meet Tom Hanks’ children

Hanks noted that his four adult children are completely unique, and this is evidenced by their interests. While his lookalike, Colin, pursues an acting career and previously attempted a failed line of handkerchiefs branded as Hans Kerchiefs, his sister Elizabeth is a talented writer. She has been featured in publications like TIME, The Huffington Post, The Guardian, and The New York Times.

Hanks’ second son, Chet, explored music and acting before starting his fitness training company, Hanxfit, in 2022. The 34-year-old struggled with substance abuse in his teens and twenties but has remained sober in the past decade. Truman is the most private of his siblings and prefers working behind the scenes on movies as a production team member.