James Van Der Beek is no stranger to the highs and lows of parenting. The actor who has five kids with his wife, Kimberly moved with his family to Texas from Los Angeles during the pandemic. Thats not for the faint of heart.

Van Der Beek recently spoke with HuffPost Parenting regarding what hes learned about his kids during the pandemic and how hes practicing self-care in these strange days as part of his partnership with Toms of Maine Silly Strawberry .

On (yes) toothpaste

If youre a parent of young kids, you can probably relate to Van Der Beeks toothpaste story. We made the mistake of giving [our kids] mint toothpaste and they go thats spicy and then brushing teeth is an uphill battle many a time after that, he said, adding that Toms of Maines strawberry flavor is now their household favorite. He was happy to partner with Toms of Maine because, he said, so much of parenting is getting a good tip, so this felt like a good tip for other parents to know about.

On what hes learned about his kids during the pandemic

Van Der Beek said he fell in love with Texas while filming the much-beloved Varsity Blues. So when the pandemic hit, he and his wife took the leap and moved their family.

The kids, he said, are happy for the space. And whats surprised him most about his kids during this time is their ability to recalibrate.

As an example, Van Der Beek told the story behind a photo he recently posted to Instagram (below).