Exclusive: Joey Lawrence Says His Daughters Get ‘Embarrassed’ by His Fame: ‘It’s Cute’

Growing up in the ‘90s, everyone I knew had a crush on Joey Lawrence. The Blossom star had a dreamy smile and iconic hair that pretty much guaranteed teen girls would have his poster on the wall. The teen heartthrob then grew up to become an adult heartthrob, bringing his legions of fans with him over his decades-long career. But despite his fame, three girls in particular find him more embarrassing than cool: his daughters Charleston, 18, Liberty, 14, who he shares with ex Chandie Yawn-Nelson, and Dylan Rose, 1, who he shares with wife Samantha Cope. Lawrence revealed how his kids react to his fame in a new interview with SheKnows.

The Brotherly Love podcast host says his daughters have seen “some” of his work, but they just find it “OK.”

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“I don’t think they really care too much, which is cool,” Lawrence tells SheKnows. Their friends, on the other hand? “I always see when their friends react to knowing who I am or whatever; they always smile or get embarrassed, and in a nice way, it’s cute,” he says.

“I think they enjoy it a little bit, but I just think they’re embarrassed by it,” he adds. Um, cannot relate. But I guess it would be weird to grow up with your friends liking your dad’s work! I could barely stand when my friends talked to my dad as a teenager, so I get it.

Although his daughters don’t like looking back, Lawrence does. The Melissa & Joey star reveals that his favorite part of fatherhood is “looking back and appreciating how special each and every era is that you have with your kids.”

“You know, you have the little babies that are just learning everything and so inquisitive, and then you have the three or four-year-olds that are coming into their own and doing more and more things every day for themselves,” he explains. “And then you have the nine and ten-year-olds who are searching for independence and desperately wanting to grow up. Then you have your pre-teens and teenagers, who think they figured everything out and know everything. And then I have my oldest, who is almost an adult now. You know, she’s a few months away from being eighteen, and [I’m] truly watching her come into her own as this amazing young woman.”

“Just being able to think back and reflect on all those different periods of time as you’re raising your children has been a really great joy of mine,” he says. Aww! Too many times, parents lament their children growing up, but I love Lawrence’s perspective on appreciating every age and “era” of your kids.

And just like every other parent, Lawrence finds raising kids challenging. Mainly: trying to do his best every day. “It’s so funny because we are adults and we are parents, and I tell my girls this all the time, but this is my first day at this age, at this moment too!” he says. “So even though I’m your father, I can only be that because I’ve lived your life before, but I haven’t lived mine. So, I’m trying to figure out how to make the best decisions to guide you. And it’s trial and error, right?”

His solution is to shower his kids with love. “All you gotta do is lead with a lot of love, unconditional love, and patience and try to set them up for success in their life because that’s our job,” Lawrence says. “Our main job is to try to make them successful people so they can get out there in the world and follow their own dreams.”

We spoke to Lawrence about his new partnership with LISTERINE Clinical Solutions, which was developed with dentists to tackle and help prevent top oral care issues, including early gum disease, tooth decay, and bad breath.

“After I used it, I literally just instinctively said, ‘Whoa, it feels amazing!’” he tells us, referencing his famous Blossom catchphrase. “It made my gums feel better, and I said to myself, I can’t believe I just said, ‘Whoa!’ Obviously, I have a long history with that word so it all fell together. I love being a part of something that is genuine and organic. “

It’s also important for him to partner with a company who makes great products that he wants his daughters to use. “You have to just lead by example most of the time,” he says about getting his kids to focus on their oral healthcare. “I, from a very young age, was like ‘Okay! Let’s go brush our teeth! Okay, it’s time to floss! I got them excited about it by using funny and hilarious toothbrushes, making it an event so that they take pride in it. I actually preached, when they got a little older, that your overall health is predicated a lot by your oral health and your oral care routine.”

You’ve got to have a nice grin when your daughters make you smile all the time, as Lawrence says his daughters do. His baby, Dylan Rose, makes him smile when she blows kisses. “That’s my favorite, when she blows me a kiss back because she just started doing that, and I love it,” he says, adding that she also just started saying “Bye, Dada.” “It’s my favorite,” he gushes.

For his 14-year-old, Lawrence smiles whenever he hears, “I love you, Dad.” “Because a lot of the time, she gets embarrassed to say that, especially around her friends,” he explains. And for his adult daughter, he loves when she says stuff like: “I really appreciate that conversation we had; it really helped me a lot.” Lawrence says, “Getting to that place with my young adult daughter, makes me feel great.”

There’s no greater joy, is there?

Before you go, check out these hot, famous dads.

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