Kevin Hart and Eniko Hart say there are parallels between being dog parents and raising children.
“A baby doesn’t just get born and get right, right away,” Kevin Hart tells Parents.com. “Baby has to be taught; baby has to learn to be accustomed. I think it’s the same thing with dogs.”
For Eniko Hart, caring for dogs provided an early introduction to nurturing before becoming a mom.
“I was a dog parent before an actual parent. Nurturing an animal is like the stepping stone to nurturing children,” she says. “We treat them as if they’re our child, and it’s always kind of been that way.”
Like a child, dogs need day-to-day care. With Kevin frequently traveling for work and both parents focused on raising their four children, a nanny has been essential.
“She’s the No. 1 right now. She puts in more time now,” Eniko says of their nanny. “But they still show us all the love and affection.”
Kevin is dad to Heaven, 20, and Hendrix, 18, whom he shares with ex-wife Torrei Hart, as well as Kenzo, 8, and Kaori, 5, with Eniko. According to Kevin, their dogs have brought the kids a lot of joy.
“A dog and a child build a special bond because they are growing up together,” he says. “When you go and look back down memory lane and see those photos of when your dog was a puppy, when your baby was a baby, it shows you how long a dog has been a part of the family, and how much you guys have grown since the dog’s involvement in the family.”
When it comes to parenting, Kevin considers himself as the “fun parent,” who pirioritizes communication over perfection.
“I believe in communication and conversation,” he adds. “I don’t think anybody’s perfect or can be perfect. So the idea of perfection doesn’t exist in our house. The idea of solution and communication does.”
Eniko says she’s fun as well, but notes she’s also the disciplinarian.
“I’m the fun parent as well, but I am more of the disciplinarian,” she says.
