Macaulay Culkin has opened up about being a father to his two children with partner Brenda Song.
The Home Alone star and the Suite Life of Zack and Cody alum share two sons: Dakota, four, and three-year-old Carson.
The couple began dating in 2017 after meeting on the Changeland movie set, with Culkin popping the question five years later.
Culkin has always been candid about his difficult childhood, despite becoming the iconic face of festive movie franchise Home Alone.
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The actor - brother of fellow actors Kieran and Rory - has been estranged from his father, Christopher 'Kit' Culkin, for the last 30 years.
But he is determined to break the cycle of generational trauma when it comes to his own children.
Speaking with Josh Scherer on his Mythical Kitchen podcast on December 17, Culkin revealed the word he uses to let his sons know he cares.
"There's a word that I use in my household because it's something that I didn't really hear enough of when I was a kid," he said. "And that's 'proud.'"
The 45-year-old said he never heard those words growing up, despite his major success.
Giving an example of him expressing pride to his kids, Culkin explained: "My kid, he does his recital. As soon as the curtain opens, he freezes, he cries and he runs off stage.
"So, I go and scoop him up and the first thing out of my mouth is, ‘Man, I’m so proud of you. You were so brave to go out there like that.'"
Reflecting on how generational trauma can 'haunt' a person, Culkin noted that he was happy how fatherhood was panning out for him.
He said: "I'm proud of myself, that I can provide for my family in that kind of way."
Culkin also gave credit to former Disney star Song for their parenting journey.
He added: "Brenda is such a good mother and she makes me want to be a better father, a better person.
"I see how good she is and I see how happy our kids are."
Last year, the actor took to Instagram to share even more insight into fatherhood, and his complicated relationship with Father's Day.
"Since becoming a papa myself I've decided to reinvent the wheel," he wrote.
"Other than getting an hour or two of extra sleep I try to make the day a celebration of my boys more than me," Culkin continued. "After all, they are the ones who made me a father (no offense to Brenda)."
"I try to do fun things for the boys on Father's Day," he concluded. "It's a special day."
Topics: Parenting, Celebrity, Hollywood, Film and TV, Disney
Ellie Kemp