Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson opened up about the moment he knew he wanted to be a dad.
In an interview with I AM ATHLETE, Wilson said, “Right before I met [his wife Ciara], I wrote out my five non-negotiables.”
On that list included having a wife that loves the Lord, is independent and would “love me the way my mom loved my dad on his deathbed, when he was at his lowest.”
“And so I prayed about that…I wrote it out actually on a napkin at dinner,” he continued.
“Three days later I meet [Ciara],” the quarterback said. “When I walked in the room and saw, you know, little Future, who was 9 months at the time, and he crawls in my lap…it was like, ‘This is going to be my responsibility.’”
At that moment, Wilson knew he was ready to become a husband and a father.
“I remember leaving that night and God saying to me, ‘Raising this child, it’s gonna be your responsibility.’ And realizing that, I’m praying to God, ‘Are you sure this is what you want me to do?’ He’s saying, ‘Son, this is for you,’” he expressed.
While becoming a step-parent is challenging, Wilson trusted God.
“Not scary, but it was also an opportunity. Like, ‘Okay God, this is what you want me to do?’ Stepping in to raise a child with [Ciara] and realizing that, ‘Okay God, I know she’s the one for me.’ But also too, I’m gonna take this responsibility as well,” he said.
“And I was ready for that,” he added. “What a gift.”
Wilson and Ciara added three more children to their family and consider raising them an incredible opportunity.
“When you’re raising children…you’ve got to love every single child as if they’re yours,” Wilson explained. “That’s been the greatest gift of raising Future, Sienna, Win and now Amora. It’s like, man, God gave me that opportunity to raise them and to love them and to care for them…And there’s no difference.”
“I think to me it’s the greatest gift, knowing that that’s the responsibility to raise these four beautiful children,” he added.
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The couple welcomed Amora to their family in December. “AMORA PRINCESS WILSON. 9lbs 1oz. We Love You so much! @Ciara 2 wins in less than 24 hours!” the quarterback wrote at the time.
Movieguide® previously reported on the Wilson family:
Russell and Ciara, who were married in 2016, parent 19-month-old son Win Harrison, daughter Sienna Princess, 4, and son Future Zahir, 7, whom Ciara shares with ex Future.
“These kids are funny. Our kids are really hilarious, and obviously the older they get, the more they think they know,” Ciara told People in a recent interview. “They say the third 𝚋𝚊𝚋𝚢 kind of moves or learns the quickest because they’re trying to keep up with their siblings, and he’s on it. He’s talking really early, he’s moving, he’s a big 𝚋𝚊𝚋𝚢 and he’s really tall, you know?
“They love each other so much, and then they also have what I call a love-fight relationship,” Ciara said of their three children. “They love to fight, but then they love each other so much at the same time, and Russ gets in the mix sometimes. It’s been so much fun. Honestly, it’s been a blessing. You know, we got triple the love now.”
