Anthony: 2008. janu�r 09. - People magazine

Anthony Kiedis: Surfing Makes Me a Better Dad

By Nicholas White

Life's a beach for Anthony Kiedis. Literally.

"My goal for the year is to get better at surfing, which I think will make me a better father," the Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman, 45, told PEOPLE Tuesday. "The more time I spend in the ocean, the better off I am when I'm around [3-month-old son Everly Bear]."

Looking forward to 2008, first-time dad Kiedis said, "Just to be present and in the moment with my boy, that's about all I can ask for."

The 45-year-old musician – who adds that Everly Bear "sleeps like a dream this kid, it's great" – hints that he and his girlfriend, model Heather Christie, may already be planning another family expansion.

"I'd definitely like to give him a sibling in the not-too-distant future, something close in age," Kiedis explained.

The rocker joined celebs Jason Bateman and Amy Smart for the Art of Elysium's decorating workshop at L.A.'s Shriners Hospital for Children, where he helped kids paint a Ford Escape Hybrid for charity on Tuesday.

And Kiedis already has big plans for his own son's artistic development. "I'm certainly going to be playing lots of music in the house. I think that has an effect on kids, the music they grow up with," he said. "I'm certainly not going to impose my artistic will on my boy. I'll just expose him to a bunch of stuff, and whatever he gravitates to, support that."

Kiedis, whose father John was a film actor, says that's how he first became aware of the arts.

"My dad introduced me to a lot of literature, and music, paintings, a little bit," Kiedis says. "He played a lot of really cool music, so I got exposed that way."