During his 16-year career in the NBA, basketball star Stephen Curry has hit several notable milestones: four-time NBA champion, two-time Most Valuable Player, 11-time NBA All-Star, and Olympic gold medalist, to name a few. But one of Curry’s proudest achievements is being a parent to his four children, ages 12, 9, 6, and 9 months.
Between being a full-time athlete, working on a Peacock TV show, and most recently collaborating with former first lady Michelle Obama’s company PLEZi Nutrition to launch a new hydration drink, Curry has a full plate—but always makes time to show up as a dad.
Raising four children has proved to be a learning experience for Curry and his wife, Ayesha, and the number one tip he has for parents of multiple kids is: Parent each child differently.
“They’re all so different, they all respond to different parenting styles, different communication styles,” Curry tells Fortune. “As quickly as you can, learn what they respond to the most.”
Embrace what makes each child unique
Curry says he’s learned through trial and error that what works with one kid might not with another.
“You want to let them know that they each have a superpower and are unique for a reason,” he says.
That principle is found in Curry’s 2022 children’s book, I Have a Superpower. The book mirrors his own underdog story, about a boy who learns that you don’t have to be the strongest, fastest, or even tallest player to be successful through hard work and determination.
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Curry’s approach is similar to the principles behind “panda” parenting, where a child’s independence and unique identity is prioritized. The term comes from the book How to Raise Successful People: Simple Lessons for Radical Results by Esther Wojcicki, who described panda parenting as “respect[ing] your kids’ ideas and preferences, otherwise communication shuts down, just when they most need your support” in an interview with the New Zealand Herald.
“When you believe in your child, they believe in themselves,” Wojcicki said. “And when you give them the opportunity to do things they become more independent.”
With four kids, Curry has made sure to forge unique bonds with each child and support their individual personalities—which he admits isn’t easy, but is a rewarding process.
“It’s a fun but challenging task to figure out,” Curry says.
He also encourages his kids to go after their dreams even if it doesn’t ultimately work out, and he credits that mindset to his parents, who encouraged him not to be afraid of failure through his early struggles as a basketball player.
“My parents were very supportive of me during those moments,” Curry said in a 2022 interview with Fatherly. “I’m always telling my kids that they have to try stuff and sometimes it’s not gonna work. Sometimes it is, but all you control is your focus and attention. It’s all about your approach to life.”
To help them handle potential failures, Curry employs the phrase “Control your WABA”—your words, actions, behavior, and attitude, he told Fatherly.
“Those are four factors that they can control, no matter what’s going on in their life,” he said. “Hopefully, that keeps them centered through all of the ups and downs.”
But most of all, the foundation of his parenting, Curry says, is in the support he offers his kids.
“Make sure they feel loved while you’re guiding them as a parent,” he tells Fortune. “That’s when the relationship…really kind of hits its stride.”
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