Hanks spoke these words in an interview for Esquire magazine. They were discussing how some movie roles require you to gain weight and how that task simply isn’t as fun as one might think.

Hanks is dead on about this. Delayed gratification and self discipline don’t exactly sound like fun things to do, let alone teach your children, but they ultimately bring about more joy than you can imagine. I know this sounds like common sense, but just because your kids think they want something doesn’t mean they should have it. What they really want is a parent who ruthlessly does what is in their best interest, with calm confidence.