Will Ferrell Reveals the Brutally Honest Truth About Raising 3 Boys

Will Ferrell is one of the funniest actors in Hollywood, but when it comes to parenting, he doesn’t always crack jokes. The star of Elf has 3 sons with his wife of 16 years, Viveca Paulin. He revealed how challenging it is to raise the 3 boys and shared the unusual way he copes with parent-teacher meetings.

Will and Viveca started out as good friends.

Will Ferrell met his wife, Viveca Paulin, at an acting class back in 1995. When Will was struggling financially to pay his rent and support his acting dreams, Viveca was the one who helped him find a paid gig. They dated briefly but decided to be friends. They remained friends for the better part of 5 years until the actor managed to escape the “friend zone.”

The couple tied the knot in 2000, and 4 years later they became parents for the first time. Today, they share Magnus Paulin, now 19 years old, Mattias Paulin, 16, and their youngest Axel Paulin, 13 years old.

Ferrell compared parenting 3 boys to running a prison.

Family time is the most important value in Will Ferrell’s life. Just like his character from one of his most famous movies, Daddy’s Home, Will believes that “We’re all flying blind a little bit as parents. We don’t really know, but as long as there’s enough love in a family, it’ll cushion any bumpy landing. I can definitely identify with that.”

The actor shared a word of advice for parents of boys, asking them to get ready for the noise that will follow, saying, “Whether they’re having a great time or whether they’re losing their minds, the kids are always yelling.”

Will Ferrell must be a fun dad in real life too, as he shared that raising 3 boys is just like running a prison. He added, “What happens with 3 boys is you end up barking out orders like, ‘Upstairs now!’ ‘Brush teeth!’ ‘Lights out!’ There is so much chaos you can’t really take the time to articulate.”

He continued that whenever he loses his temper while in full-on father mode, he often thinks that “If anyone was a fly on the wall, they’d be like, ’Will Ferrell is not a funny father!’”

On the same humorous note, Will Ferrell revealed how he easily survives the parent-teacher nights — by simply not going because he never knows when they take place.

The Ferrell fam has a yearly tradition for Halloween, where the 3 boys get to pick their father’s costume, no matter what it is. A few years back, Will Ferrell was dressed as the poop emoji. On a more serious note, Will admitted to often tearing up when his kids show him the slightest hint of affection.

Boys are taught to be tough and not show their emotions, but what happens when they grow up and can’t handle their feelings? We found a study that reveals a surprising solution for raising emotionally healthy boys.