Mark Wahlberg has worn many hats and played many roles over the years. However, the one he’s most proud of is being a father to Ella, Michael, Brendan, and Grace.
But as Mark is discovering, there comes a time when children no longer need (or want) their parents around. This is why Mark is now forced to watch his kids’ sports games from the parking lot .
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Mark Wahlberg tries to be an empathetic and understanding parent.
Mark says that being in the public eye has afforded him many advantages in life, but there are some drawbacks.
His children are at the point in their life where they’re forming their own identity and don’t want to be overshadowed by their father.
“I’m not allowed to get out of the car at a football practice or a game. I gotta sit in the car and watch,” Mark told *Today*.
Mark admits that initially, he took his children’s request pretty personally. It hurt to realize that his own kids didn’t want him around:
“But supporting them is making them feel comfortable in what they’re doing and them having their own identity too,” Mark said.
In order to respect his kids’ wishes, Mark no longer coaches his son’s football team.
The Oscar-nominated actor freely admits that stepping down wasn’t easy.
But what really drove a knife through his heart was when his daughter Ella denied him a song at the Father/Daughter school dance.
“She said, ‘Dad, if you embarrass me, I will never talk to you again.’”
Mark is the first to admit that raising a teenage girl comes with its own challenges.
And that all he can hope for as a father is that eventually, his daughter will come back to him down the road.
