“Instead of Buying Barbie Dolls…You’re Into…”: Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Life Drastically Changed After Having Two Sons

When Maria Shriver gave birth to Katherine, Arnold Schwarzenegger was at the zenith of his Hollywood career. His busy schedule prevented him from participating in the initial caregiving of his firstborn. While Arnie transformed himself and actively took part in helping Shriver take care of Christina (2nd child), his prior experience didn’t fully prepare him for raising a son. Penning about the same, the bodybuilding icon in his autobiography revealed, “with our third baby, it was a battle again, because Patrick was the first boy.” 

In his book, the Hollywood action icon explained how he and Maria felt after the birth of their first son. He also revealed how things changed even more when his second son Christopher was born in 1997.

The birth of his two sons changed how Arnold Schwarzenegger viewed parenting

In his autobiography, the seven-time Mr. Olympia explained how he felt overwhelmed after the birth of his first male child. The Austrian Oak recounted that Maria Shriver wept tears of joy, and so did he while informing his friends. When Patrick was born, the couple felt ecstatic. However, “I had not expected Maria to be that over-the top ecstatic about the idea that it was a boy,” wrote Arnie.

While they were sharing parenting responsibilities equally for their two daughters, “She was really into being the force in his (Patrick Schwarzenegger) growing up,” wrote Schwarzenegger. While it created some friction, by the time Christopher arrived, they had become “very good at the balancing act.” As the boys grew up, things changed drastically for the bodybuilding legend.

“Instead of buying Barbie dolls, all of a sudden you’re into trucks and remote controls, cars, and tanks,” Schwarzenegger wrote in Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story. Instead of dollhouses, the Austrian Oak bought building blocks and castles. “You get into knives and later take them shooting… All of which made me very happy,” he wrote.

READ MORE | “Totally Failed With the First Baby”: Admitting His Failures, Arnold Schwarzenegger Completely Transformed Himself During Christina’s Birth

However, his son’s birth wasn’t the only time the five-time Mr. Universe winner’s life changed drastically.

How the birth of his firstborn shatter a long-held belief

Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn’t ready for the rollercoaster of emotions he felt after the birth of his first child. In his autobiography. “Seeing Katherine’s birth, I felt the most unbelievable joy,” revealed the bodybuilding legend. The experience shattered a belief Schwarzenegger had held for years.

The actor revealed, “Whenever I heard guys say that they cried after their baby was born, I always thought, ‘That is such bulls***.'” However, when he became one of those “guys,” Schwarzenegger found himself crying while informing his friends about Katherine’s birth. What did you make of Schwarzenegger’s story? Let us know in the comments.

Watch this story | From Ronnie Coleman’s dominance to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 1980 comeback- Here are the top bodybuilding moments