Now, decades later, the couple are still going strong and share four children together. Their oldest child, is their daughter Ella Rae Wahlberg. She was born September 2, 2003 in L.A. The same day, Mark lost his older sister, Deborah Wahlberg unexpectedly from a heart attack. She was just 43 years old.

This is the reason the actor sometimes regards this day as ‘bittersweet’ for himself. In recent years, Wahlberg has talked about how raising a teenage daughter can sometimes be “a challenge.”

“It’s tough, but people say that they pass through it and they come back to you,” he said in a 2018 interview. “She wants to go be off and doing her thing. [There’s] a lot of attitude, a lot of aggression, a lot of, ‘You’re the worst, you ruin everything!’ “

It seems now the two of them are closer than ever, with Mark also forming a close bond with her daughter’s boyfriend, James. Wahlberg called the young man “fantastic” and has said the two of them are “perfect for each other.”

While the actor has had an impressive career, he regards his job as a father his “most important role.”

“I want to give my kids the world, but I also want them to appreciate everything, to succeed, to be good people, to enjoy life,” Wahlberg said of his parenting philosophy. “This is my most important role. If I fail at this, I fail at everything,” the actor said.

In 2022, the actor even moved the family from Los Angeles to Las Vegas in order to give his kids a better life. He said of the move, “To be able to give my kids a better life and follow and pursue their dreams — whether it be my daughter as an equestrian, my son as a basketball player, my younger son as a golfer — this made a lot more sense for us.” He said he and his wife “came here to just kind of give ourselves a new look, a fresh start for the kids, and there’s lots of opportunity here.”

On March 21, 2006, the couple welcomed their first son, Michael in L.A. The boy’s name is a tribute to both his father and his grandfather.

“My dad called me Mike since I was a kid,” Wahlberg shared before his son was born. “So in honor of my dad, I think we’re going to name him Michael.”

Michael had always shown a passion for sports including boxing at one point. When Wahlberg was training for his role as Micky Ward in the 2010 film The Fighter he had a boxing ring installed in his backyard. His son, who was just 4 years old at the time, became obsessed with the ring too.

Wahlberg said at the time, “He just punches me as hard as he can. Fun for him, not fun for me because literally I was like, ‘This kid is starting to hit hard man!’” Now his sons are even taller than their dad!

Like his father, Michael is observant of the Christian faith as well and celebrated his confirmation in May 2022, a Christian milestone.

Mark was incredibly proud of his boy and post on Instagram, writing, “So proud of this young man❤️🙏congrats buddy!! Even though mommy deserves most of the credit😂thanks babe🙏❤️.”

Two years after Michael, the family welcomed Brendan Joseph Wahlberg on September 16, 2008. Like his older brother, he is also a big sports fan, especially of basketball.

Their youngest child is Grace Margaret Wahlberg born to the couple on January 11, 2010. She is now 14 years old, a fact which astounded her parents who both took to social media to mark the milestone for their daughter.