Matthew McConaughey Shares How Being a Dad Has Changed Him: 'You Know You Have to Get Back'

The actor and wife Camila Alves McConaughey are parents to sons Livingston, 10, and Levi, 15, and daughter Vida, 13

Matthew McConaughey is sharing some of the lessons he's learned as a father.

Speaking with Extra about dad life, the Interstellar actor, 53, opened up about how raising sons Livingston, 10, and Levi, 15, and daughter Vida, 13, has given him a greater perspective.

“When you become a parent, your peripheral vision becomes better, whereas before you're a parent, you can have tunnel vision," he shares.

"You can take one-trip tickets to anywhere you want to go. No more one-trip tickets when you become a parent," he continues. "It’s round-trip tickets because you know you have to get back and you’ve got dependents."

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Related: Levi McConaughey Reflects on His 'Really Cool' Community Service Experience Cooking Meals in Paris

When it comes to sharing lessons with his kids, McConaughey is hoping they learn, "Responsibility breeds freedom."

"You take care of your stuff, chores, you take care of yourself, you will have more freedoms in the future," he explains.

McConaughey and wife Camila Alves McConaughey recently gave their oldest a new freedom — a social media presence.

Talking to PEOPLE about the decision earlier this month, the actor said, "We thought he was ready."

"After two to three years of talking about the pitfalls and the upfalls and the downfalls, and him shadowing me on my IGs and his mother on hers and picking out people that he looked up to and talking to them about it, we felt he’s got enough information and is mature enough to tell his own story."

The author also opened up about his recently released children's book, Just Because.

"Just being a dad, I mean, you’re thinking about your kids all the time [and] I think that afternoon, I’d been having conversations with my children about certain new things that they were crossing for the first time or, 'Well, this happened and I’m not sure how to feel about it. And I wanted to do this, but I felt I needed to do this, and I was confused,' " he said of the book.

"Evidently it was in my subconscious… Once I knocked all the couplets down in the rhythm, it sort of wrote itself."

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