Mark Consuelos is not as ‘overprotective’ of daughter Lola as he thought he’d be

 Mark Consuelos ’ approach to parenting has changed over time. When the Riverdale star and  Kelly Ripa  first welcomed their only daughter Lola Consuelos in 2001, the actor initially thought he would be overly protective of his little girl. “As overprotective as I thought I would be when she was born and I was holding her in my arms, I’ve mellowed a bit,” Mark, 49, admitted in a new interview with People magazine. As for why he is more relaxed? The dad of three explained, “Because I’m really aware of what a good head on her shoulders she has.”

In addition to Lola, 19, Kelly and Mark are also parents to sons Michael, 23, and Joaquin, 17. Although the Live with Kelly and Ryan host, 49, doesn’t “really believe in gender stereotyping,” she did have “definitive ideas about raising girls versus raising boys” before becoming a mother. Though she noted, “My sons are just as sensitive as my daughter, and my daughter is as strong as my sons.”

As they have gotten older, the Hollywood stars have learned more when it comes to parenting. “That youngest kid hopefully benefits from a little bit more wisdom ... and hopefully fewer nerves,” Kelly said. Along with age, Mark and Kelly’s children have also taught them new things. “You’ll have conversations with Joaquin where you realize you’ve just learned something new about the way he thinks,” Mark shared.

Meanwhile, Kelly has learned “so much about being a modern-day woman” from her daughter Lola. She said, “It really gives me hope — her generation really supports each other, the way she and her friends have each other’s backs. For all the talk about women helping other women, I see it in her generation in a way I never have before.”