Channing Tatum is beginning to learn about being a parent -- his wife, Jenna Dewan-Tatum, gave birth to a girl on Thursday -- but he does have experience as a husband and he is willing to dole out advice.

"Jenna's and my thing is checking in with each other all the time," White House Down actor told Cosmopolitan's July 2013 issue. "Like 'on a scale from 1 to 10, how much do you love me right now? '"

The actor has been with his wife for nearly eight years but they have been married for four. They met after starring together in the 2006 film Step Up. The family's new edition was born in the midst of filming in London, where Tatum is working on Jupiter Ascending.

"You gotta be honest," he continued about marriage, "and you've got to want an honest answer."

Channing admitted that sometimes honesty opens up a few wounds, but he believes it is the most effective one a relationship can have. He recalled giving the advice to a friend, who didn't like the answer he got.

"It turned into a huge fight, and I'm like, that's kind of the point," he said. "Obviously, something needed to be fixed, he needed to be aware of it, and she needed to get it off her chest."

Channing said he leans on friends to keep him honest, though he often finds himself the butt of their jokes.

"I get chopped down to size all the time," the actor said. "When you have a doll made of your face, it's ridiculous how creative your friends can get ... pictures, videos, little animated cartoons that they've made. And they're way, way not PG-13."

The actor said he does not feel like a celebrity and sometimes has a difficult time considering his acting fame. He thinks rock stars are the real celebrities, as they're "they're larger than life."

"As an actor, you have to play the everyman and the everygirl," he added, "If you start treating people in the real world like assistants, that's not a good look."

Check out the trailer for Channing's new movie White House Down, out in theaters on June 28.

Tags: Channing Tatum White House Down cosmopolitan magazine