Mark Wahlberg: My firstborn being a girl completely changed me

Los Angeles, July 5 (IANS): Known for movies like “The Fighter”, “The Departed” and “Patriots Day”, Mark Wahlberg credits his daughter for changing him and the actor says he’s now more “respectful” towards women.

Wahlberg has children Ella, 16, Michael, 14, Brendan, 11, and Frace, 10, with his wife Rhea Durham.

“My firstborn being a girl completely changed me. I have friends with only boys and they’ll be like, ‘Check that out’ or ‘Look at her’ and I’ll say, ‘Dude, have some respect, that’s somebody’s daughter,” Wahlberg told Men’s Health magazine, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

The actor says he wants his children to follow their passions.

He said: “I’m sitting across from my son just yesterday and I’m like, ‘Dude if you don’t work hard in school right now, you will regret it later. You always give it 110 percent then you’ll never have to live with regret.’ I’m speaking from experience.

“I’ve got to instil that ethic, if you want to make something happen, the only way to do that is to roll up your sleeves and do the work. What I want to give them is the drive and desire to find out what they’re passionate about and go and be the best version of themselves.”

He added: “Maybe one will want to go into acting, others may want to take over one of these companies we’re building. And one may say, ‘I want to be a professional skateboarder.'”

The actor says he doesn’t want to force his children to go to church every Sunday with him but he hopes his faith inspires them.

He added: “My faith and all that ways heavy on me too, in a good way, to inspire them. I don’t force them to go to church with me every Sunday. And this is the first time I haven’t gone since my wife has known me in 19 years.

“They know that’s the most important thing for Dad, that’s how he starts his day, every day. So hopefully those things will rub off them.”