Tony Hawk Reveals the ‘Only Rule’ He Has When Putting His 4-Month-Old Grandson on a Skateboard (Exclusive)

Tony Hawk has been given one rule to follow as a new grandpa, but he’s rolling with it.

The pro skateboarding legend’s son, Riley Hawk, and his wife, Frances Bean Cobain, welcomed their first baby together on Sept. 17 last year — and despite the little one only being 4 months old, the athlete already put him on wheels.

Well, to an extent, Hawk says of getting his new grandson, Ronin Walker, on a skateboard while speaking with PEOPLE exclusively about his continued partnership with Qunol for Heart Health Month in February.

“Let’s say I brought him on a skateboard while sitting down on it,” he admits.

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Hawk says it’s “tempting” not to get Ronin’s feet on the board, but he’s abiding by a specific guideline he’s been given by his wife, Catherine Goodman.

“She said, ‘You can’t stand up. That’s the only rule’, ” he makes known, though says there’s a significant reason behind Goodman’s order. “Because I have to leave that for my son to do with him first,” he explains.

Riley, who followed in his dad’s pro skateboarding footsteps, wed Frances, the daughter of Courtney Love and late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, in October 2023. They announced the news of their baby boy’s arrival on Instagram about one week after he was born in September 2024.

While Hawk, who has four kids of his own — sons Riley (born in 1992), Spencer (born in 1999), Keegan (born in 2001) and daughter Kadence (born in 2008) — already experienced the early stages of parenting himself, his mindset is a little different as a new grandpa.

“I would say, yeah, I’m extra protective of him. Absolutely,” Hawk says of his grandson, though he jokes, “Well, I’d like to think that I was not careless with my other children… They turned out okay, healthy.”

As someone who practically already got his months-old grandson on a skateboard, Hawk says he’s a “fun” grandpa too. “One that will definitely spoil him and one that is willing to drop everything to get some time with him at any turn,” he adds.

Clearly, Hawk’s family is close to his heart, which is why he’s taking extra steps to protect his own with his ongoing partnership with Qunol. Heart health awareness is an important topic for the pro skateboarder because of his family history.

“My dad had severe heart problems through his life. He had two heart attacks by the time he was and he had another one while I was a teenager. He just didn’t take care of himself,” Hawk tells PEOPLE exclusively.

“I realized that I sort of had the same DNA makeup as I got older,” he says, noting that he’s been taking a proactive approach — including Qunol CoQ10 as part of his daily routine — to support his heart health.

“I feel like I’m on a trajectory now that is way different than I’ve been on,” Hawk says as he grows older. “I feel really good about skating these days,” he shares, adding that his “skating endurance has changed dramatically for the better.”