Matthew McConaughey talks parenting, new children’s book

3rd graders from the KIPP star Harlem elementary and everybody watching and you have great timing because on the day you come is the same day that Matthew mcconaughey is here. 3 in New York Times bestselling author and he actually has a new book out just today and it's for kids, it's called just because Matthew good morning. You hear. It's a just an essential Matthew mcconaughey story this book came to you in in the middle of the night. He said it was a ditty like a song it was a song it was a ditty I was having a dream to the rhythm of a beat that led with just because I kind of hopped up. They threw the dart does not mean that is just because you got skills don't mean there is no luck don't don't don't and so I started writing it down. So I wrote for 4 hours went back to sleep. I need to sleep to get back up later to see if what I thought was good at 2.30 in the morning was still good. And I got back up at 9.30 the more I looked at a work you know that was I laid it down and I was like I think there's a great story for kids here. I think there's a great rhyme for kids and I noticed that stuff I was right about was things are talking about kids about things that I think they're going to enjoy things I think the kid and all of us will enjoy talk to us just because so it's all about life's full of contradictions nothing's black or white. Now we're told especially young people today are feeling more more pressure to be absolute about something yeah, you know my my daughter's like she's going to play volleyball and she's like what do I need to be a pro. Now you don't need to be a pro 13 just don't want to be absolute about that. And it's it's it's about hey you've got options right now try things out forgive yourself forgive others you can mess up today and make it right tomorrow. Yeah, you know you can do you can dial a line in there just because just because I lied that doesn't mean I'm a liar we tend to label people. Yeah, you tell a fib today and go my bogey I'm going to stop that I'm not going to 50 again that doesn't mean I'm a liar that means that all the mistruth today by the way that's that's up to underscore that it's something that everyone on this. Yeah, everyone can learn something from that what I like about it Matthew is that you're not shrinking away from the complexity of that message our kids are smart. Yeah, I know these kids elementary kids are super smart, but they can understand these concepts I think so too, I mean I tried to package it with a rhyme and a sing song so younger people can hear the rhythm and get along with it. I can digest that but there's some adult themes in here. It's just trying to make it it's it's arguably kids book for adults as well. Yeah, there's so many great things in this book and there's a lot of great parenting advice in here, you're parenting your children one of your kids is now on social media that was a big deal for you and your wife to say okay, yes, green light you got a little ceremony now we're putting you into the world that was a tough choice. Tell us what went into that. Well 2 years of really trying to define what social media is to him how old he's 15 to start 13 years ago, he's pushing us going to get on it. Yeah, let's talk about what it is yeah talk about the upfalls of talk about the downfall, let's talk about the assets and talk about the traps, let's let's talk about what you want to tell what's your story because what happens a lot of times with young people social media is they wake up in the morning and the first thing on their mind is what will be a good post. Yeah, instead of what I want to do today. If that's cool why don't I post that yeah, and so as long as you're doing what you want to do and my first thing going maybe I should record that that's where sharing instead of the other way around how has it been for him being on social far solid solid so far solid but I know we're still taking baby steps into you know how much he's immediately in touch with what he's exporting and we're going to measure we're discussing things. We had him look at a lot of other people that he looked up to their post we talked about why do you like those and then you saw certain people that had maybe more hits you go, but why did that and they get where they relevant for the right reasons yeah where they relevant reasons that actually spoke to be in more of themselves rather than act like somebody else and we've just with the discussion is ongoing. Well, I think you and Camilla are so why because you didn't just turn out of the neighborhood in town without anything to prepare. Yes, yeah of what's in your social media virtual I don't let you go on that night in the worst neighborhood in town, I'm not throwing out there in the Internet without knowing so I think it's really wise always a bunch of wisdom, especially in this book you don't want this book. We have copies of this book that we're going to hand out it's more fun than multiplication table. I got this one. Matthew by the way is going to come back and he's going to join us in our 4th hour. Matthew we love you we're happy or you're a little bit. Hey thanks for watching don't miss the today show every week day at 11 a.m. Eastern 8 Pacific on our streaming channel today all day to watch head to today dot com slash all day or click the link right here.