Mark Wahlberg’s Comments About His Kids Make Us Love Him Even More!

Mark Wahlberg is now a father-of-four, but he vividly remembers the day his first child arrived.

“When my first daughter, Ella, was born, there were feelings of fear, joy, everything,” shares the former troublemaker.

“I was so nervous about leaving the hospital and going home that I probably drove 10 mph. There was also relief that my wife was okay, but then it was back to fear of the unknown. I felt a huge sense of responsibility that I had to raise this child, protect and teach her,” says the 43-year-old.

The action star, who has since welcomed three more kids with wife Rhea Durham after 10-year-old Ella Rae — Michael, 8, Brendan, 5, and Grace, 4 — has the same goal for all four.

“You have to provide them with tools that will make them good people,” says Mark. “Material things aren’t going to make them good people; education and being active in the church will.”

Though he admits it’s not always easy. “I pray for patience, but the kids test me,” the Transformers actor confesses.

And don’t even mention dating around this protective father! “I’m dreading the teenage years with my daughters; it’s not going to be easy for them to go on a date,” he shares.

“But I’m hoping one nice, nerdy boy will come into each of their lives at the right time when they’re twentysomething, and they’ll be with that person forever.”

So how do Mark and Rhea balance their hectic work schedules plus four kids?

“Rhea and I want to be a team and involved in every aspect of the kids’ lives that we can…I took our three older kids to school this morning, and she was taking Grace shopping, and then she’ll pick up the kids from school,” he tells People magazine.

“We have help, but we don’t want the kids doing their activities with other people. It’s not easy, but it’s how we always pictured things.”