Hugh Jackman Says His Relationship with His Teenage Children Has Changed as They've Grown Up

"It's been an adjustment," says the actor

Hugh Jackman, who is the proud father to Oscar, 18, and Ava, 13, says when it comes to raising teenagers, sometimes a different approach to parenting is needed.

“My son is about to leave high school, and my daughter is about to go into high school. It’s amazing to just have conversations with them. But it took a bit of readjusting,” Jackman tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “It went from ‘Hey, guys, these are the rules, we don’t do that,’ to having to give them reasons why.”

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For more on Hugh Jackman, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE on newsstands now.

Jackman, who celebrates his 23rd wedding anniversary on April 11 with wife Deborra-Lee Furness, 63, says one major perk of having older kids is being able to watch better movies.

“It’s nice to go to the movies and see something you both want to see. It’s no longer ‘Oh good, let’s watch Shrek for the 120th time.’ I mean, I love Shrek but not 120 times.”

The 50-year-old Aussie, who voices an explorer in the animated movie Missing Link and will be headlining his first world tour, The Man. The Music. The Show., in May, says he has learned so much from being a dad.

“When your focus is innately, deeply, one hundred percent become these kids in your life and their well being it just seems to put everything into perspective,” says Jackman. “Being a father has taught me so much.”

Missing Link opens Friday.

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