Anderson Cooper Gets Candid About Parenting 18-Month-Old Son Wyatt: 'Diapers Aren't Even That Hard'
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Anderson Cooper is getting honest about parenthood!
In the first episode of Ellen DeGeneres' EllenTube "Dad Confessions," the 54-year-old CNN anchor talked about the challenges and rewards of being a new father.
The dad to 18-month-old son Wyatt Morgan started the video with some parenting advice for first-time mothers and fathers, saying to baby-proof the home. Cooper joked, "I didn't do that [before Wyatt's arrival], and now I'm using deer fencing because I don't really know what I'm doing."
The Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty author also confessed that he didn't read the baby books to prepare him for fatherhood, and has learned everything about parenting on the fly.
"I got all these books about being a parent, and I didn't read any of them. It turns out you actually have to read the books," Cooper said with a laugh. "Just buying the books themselves, and having them around doesn't work. You actually have to read them."
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The dad of one even got candid about diaper duty. While most parents dread the messy task, the journalist admitted he actually enjoys it. "Diapers aren't even that hard. I've heard people complain… it's sweet," Cooper said.
When asked directly about his biggest parenting fail, he laughed, saying, "I don't know, I actually think I'm doing OK!"
He added, "I mean, I had all these ideas like he won't see a screen device until he's 30. I've been able to sort of keep him away, but he's definitely… fascinated by phones… I try not to be on the phone in front of him, but sometimes I fail at that."
Despite the learning curve, Cooper said that he's loved "everything" about fatherhood.
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"I love being there in the morning when he first opens his eyes and he sees you and he smiles, and sometimes he smiles so hard that he can't stand it, and he buries his face in his bed or looks for a toy in his crib, and then dives on the toy because he's so like overcome with feeling happy. There's nothing better," he said.
RELATED VIDEO: Anderson Cooper Is In Awe of Son Wyatt: "I'm Charmed by Everything He Does"
Cooper shares his son with ex Benjamin Maisani. In September he opened up to PEOPLE about finding a groove in co-parenting with his former partner.
"It's awesome," he said. "It's probably an unusual setup, but I knew he would be a great dad, and he is. We're exes, but we're family to each other, and we love each other as family and as co-parents."
"There's the usual bickering that any two people have when there's a kid involved, like what time should he go to swimming class, or should he wear the overalls, or whatever," he admitted, adding, "But all silly, minor things. We get along great."
Cooper explained, "I've always believed that if you've been with somebody and that ends, in terms of an intimate relationship, if you love somebody, there's no reason why that love shouldn't continue."
