Mark Wahlberg Covers Esquire's Fatherhood Issue: Star Opens Up About His Childhood, Kids and Finally Getting a Diploma

"I worry that maybe they'll have a sense of entitlement. You don't wanna give your kids everything without giving them the tools to be great people."

By Bruna Nessif May 22, 2014 3:13 AMTags
E! Placeholder Image

Mark Wahlberg is many things—actor, producer, former rapper, hot and a dad.

The studly star covers the June/July Fatherhood issue of Esquire Magazine (on newsstands May 27), and along with flashing his infectious smile, Wahlberg poses with his four children and opens up about his own childhood and what being a dad has been like for him.

"I think, for the most part, I had a pretty good childhood. It wasn't until we got older that we realized we didn't have what a lot of other people had," he tells the mag, and also talks about bunking with his brothers while growing up.

"[It] was great at times and pretty traumatic at times when you were really young. You had brothers that were teenagers and they were doing shit that teenagers do, and you don't understand what it is or why they're doing it."

For the past 10 years, he's been put into the role of dad, which has been a bit challenging but also rewarding. "I think the most important thing is to always be involved in every aspect of their life. To give them enough trust that they can share things with you. I don't want them to be terrified of me, you know?

"But I don't want them to think they can do whatever they want and get away with it, either, because they can't. The biggest thing for me is, you know, as quickly as I was able to turn it around, to get from there to here, from me having nothing as a kid to me here now, providing everything for my kids, it's like, I worry that maybe they won't appreciate things.

"I worry that maybe they'll have a sense of entitlement. You don't wanna give your kids everything without giving them the tools to be great people."

And Wahlberg knew that he had to set a good example, so he went back to school to get his GED. "I can't tell my kids to go to school and get an education if I don't have a diploma. They'd start thinking, 'why do we need to go? You didn't go and you turned out all right.' But I'm proud to have it. If I want to go on and further my education and study film or whatever, I can do that."