John Stamos gets emotional thinking about protecting his son from what can be a harsh world out there.
"I'm a softie," he exclusively told ET's Nancy O'Dell at the Malibu Lumber Yard on Sunday, where he was debuting his original artworks at a private opening of the art exhibit.
Stamos admitted to "crying on my way here" after spending the weekend with his 1-year-old son, Billy. The actor looked up at a piece of artwork depicting him during his years as a teen idol, reminiscing on the "loss of innocence" he experienced in the spotlight.
"I don't think [I want him growing up in show business]," he said.
"You say [kids can do] whatever they want to do. I'll tell you one thing -- I don't know how yet, but the social media with kids [makes me want to protect him]," Stamos continued.
"With the social media, my niece, we were having a beautiful Thanksgiving dinner at my house. She kept her phone. Then, in the middle of dinner, she starts crying because somebody said something on social media and that hatred comes into your home. It's no good," he explained.
In Stamos' eyes, Billy is "the most beautiful baby." "He's just so innocent. I've never seen so much joy on a kid before today. You want to protect him. You don't want this," he said, pointing back up to his teen idol piece.
That work was just one piece Stamos chose as part of the extremely personal theme of his exhibit at the Malibu Lumber Yard. The exhibit opens to the public on June 25 and runs until July 21.
"I'm fascinated by ex-teen idol and idolatry and what it all means," he said. "I have about 15 more pieces that are a part of this, like I said, idolatry and the teen idol world. This kind of thing doesn't exist anymore. There's not magazines anymore, it's all online. When I wanted to see how popular I was back then I would have to go to a mall or something. I couldn't check to see how many likes."
While Billy might not follow in his dad's acting footsteps, Stamos has noticed his son's love for music -- among other things. "He plays drums on beat. He has an uncanny knack to find the most dangerous thing in the room and put it in his mouth and stick his tongue in light sockets," he joked.
As for whether Stamos and his wife, Caitlin McHugh, will give Billy a sibling anytime soon, the Fuller House star said "yes -- if he ever leaves me and my wife alone."
"We would love to have another one," he shared. "I'm learning there are a lot of messed up people in this world, and it takes so much time and patience that my wife has and energy and money and kindness and love."
Stamos, 55, thinks fatherhood came at the right time for him. "We've done everything. I've done everything three times," he reasoned. "Kicks keep getting harder to find, and they were harder to find, so that's why they turn to substance abuse -- which I did for a little while and straightened out. And it's like, 'What's left?' It's this, and this is the best part of my life."
The actor is ready to devote himself to becoming the best father he can be. "I want to be able to give as much as I can give to this kid," he said.
See more on Stamos in the video below.
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