Aman Tyler Perry: Tyler Perry Wants to Raise His Son 'Grounded and Balanced'

Tyler Perry is an actor, writer, director, and studio head. To all these roles, he adds that of father to his only son, Aman Tyler Perry, whom he co-parents with his former girlfriend, Gelila Bekele.

Tyler Perry is famous for his exceptional talent in directing, producing, and screenwriting movies and TV series. But, even though Forbes once listed him as the highest-paid man in entertainment, the studio owner considers his most significant achievement to be fatherhood.

Perry is a doting father to son Aman Tyler Perry, his only child, whom he welcomed with his former girlfriend, Ethiopian model, photographer, and author, Gelila Bekele. The former couple is loving co-parents to Aman, and Tyler has spoken glowingly of his young son.

Aman Tyler Perry Is Tyler Perry's Only Child

Tyler found out he was going to be a father via FaceTime. According to the star, his girlfriend at the time, Gelila, called him and held up a pregnancy stick, indicating that she was pregnant. Eventually, the pair welcomed their little boy on November 30, 2014.

A year later, the director appeared as a guest on "The Late Late Show" and revealed how he managed to maintain order at home as Aman was learning how to walk. The producer said he built a cage-like structure with toys for his son to keep him "baby proofed."

Being the only child of his successful parents, Aman enjoys proper guidance and has inherited a passion for several activities. Tyler opened up about his son's early love of reading and storytelling, something he inherited from his dad.

When Aman was just three, Tyler revealed in an interview with Kelly and Ryan that his son was already reading and enjoyed reading books. He also added:

"My son's so smart, right? I say, 'OK, I'm only reading three at night,' and he goes 'get ten'."

According to the "Tyler Perry's House of Payne" star, Aman's favorite singer back then was Bob Marley, and his favorite TV shows were "Paw Patrol" and "Dora the Explorer."

Aman and Perry's Uncanny Resemblance

Having a brilliant celebrity for a father, Aman, is a testament to the saying that the apple does not fall far from the tree. His proud dad boasted that Aman made every effort to educate his father, sharing pertinent information like:

"Papa, did you know the cheetah is the fastest land animal?"

Aman has inherited not only his dad's intellect but also his looks. Time and again, Tyler has said Aman is his spitting image, and he sees a younger version of himself in the little boy. Although the public has no information on Aman's physical looks, childhood snapshots of Tyler give an idea of what the boy might look like.

On the icon's 43rd birthday anniversary, Tyler took to his Instagram page to share a picture of himself as a baby. In the photo, Tyler looked adorable with curly black hair and bold black eyes as he looked away from the camera.

The director confessed that he has seen the effect out-of-control wealth has had on friends' children, and he doesn't want to see Aman damaged that way.

In another post, he shared an image of his five-year-old self smiling shyly. The snap shows the little boy in a striped top paired with black pants. In the caption, Tyler thanked his young self for not giving up and making it through the heartache.

Tyler Perry's Childhood Heartbreak

Tyler was subjected to extreme verbal and physical abuse as a child; however, he has revealed that fathering Aman has been a source of continuous healing. During an interview, Tyler recounted an experience with Aman which brought back childhood memories.

Tyler recalled how he once overheard Aman berating his nanny with unpleasant words. According to the actor, he called his son, sat down at eye level with him, and explained that Aman's actions were wrong.

Tyler noted that in that moment of discipline, he realized nobody had ever spoken that way to him as a child. To Tyler, the gift of fatherhood is precious, and he celebrates it every chance he gets.

Tyler Perry's Gift of Fatherhood

Two months after Aman was born, the father of one shared a post on Instagram where he spoke movingly about the peace his son brought him. Tyler wrote that he had traveled the world trying to find the kind of peace he felt holding his son in his arms.

Since then, Aman has grown, and so have the parenting challenges that Tyler and Gelila face in raising their son. The director confessed that his impulse is to give Aman everything because he had such a hard life and that his ex-partner Gelila keeps him in check. He revealed:

"She is very grounded and balanced at making sure he stays that way. Because I have wrestled with, I want to give him everything because I didn't have it."

Tyler is a billionaire, and Aman will have to learn to deal with privilege, something the director is determined will not spoil his son's sweet, empathic nature. The boy will not receive truckloads of presents at Christmas or for his birthday, Tyler revealed:

"For birthdays, he'll get a gift or two. For Christmas, he'll get a gift or two because he don't have a job. He ain't got no money."

The director confessed that he has seen the effect of out-of-control wealth on friends' children and doesn't want to see Aman damaged that way. Tyler tells Aman about the struggle and how lucky he is to have a good life and to be safe.

Tyler has confronted his past sufferings and his pain, and a significant part of his healing, he revealed, has been through loving and raising his son. Despite his father's abuse, Tyler supports him financially but has no contact with him. He said:

"What helped me get to a place where I could forgive him for all the abuses is that I found his life story."

His father had been mistreated, too, and had become an abuser in turn. For Tyler, forgiving him stops the cycle of abuse and enables him to be the loving father Aman needs, the father he wishes he'd had.