Dick Van Dyke Makes Parenting Fail Admission

Dick Van Dyke‘s candid reflections about his life and career continue ahead of his highly anticipated 100th birthday.

The Hollywood icon has stolen the hearts of multiple generations of fans with his acting, singing, and dancing skills. He is gifted with the ability to turn any frown into a smile; however, his life hasn’t always been brimming with positivity.

Dick Van Dyke recently confessed that his dedication to his career to ensure a better future for his kids made it challenging to be a present father.

In a new interview, Dick opened up about the challenges he faced as a father of four during the start of his entertainment career. He welcomed sons, Christian and Barry, alongside two daughters, Stacy and Carrie Beth, during his first marriage to the late Margerie Willet.

Dick explained that he struggled to bring his family out of poverty in the beginning, long before his big break in Hollywood. He worked various jobs to keep them afloat, recalling that he did game shows, played at nightclubs, and would get about three to four hours of sleep in between these gigs.

The “Mary Poppins” star admitted that it was challenging balancing his work and family life, telling PEOPLE his children might have been affected by his long absences.

“They probably got neglected at some point, because I was really working hard to get out of poverty, so to speak, but I haven’t had any complaints from anybody,” Dick said.

During his over three-decade relationship with his late ex-wife, Dick welcomed four exceptional children. The oldest, Christian, was born in May 1950, and he initially followed in his famous father’s footsteps by starring on “The Dick Van Dyke Show” at 11 years old.

However, Hollywood wasn’t Christian’s calling as he went on to study law at Arizona State University. He kicked off his career in the legal scene as a deputy district attorney in Corvallis, Oregon. Christian was also the district attorney for Marion County, among other successes.

Dick’s second son, Barry, was born in July 1951 with a passion for acting. Despite his interest, the TV icon stopped his son from pursuing his dream until he graduated from high school. TODAY reported that Barry once claimed his father stopped him because he wanted him to experience a normal childhood.

Barry followed in Dick’s footsteps as an actor, working with him on the show “Diagnosis Murder” after making his acting debut like his other siblings on “The Dick Van Dyke Show” in 1962. His younger sister, Stacy, also caught the acting bug.

After starring on their father’s shows, Stacy continued pursuing an acting career by joining the Barnstormers, a performing group at the Windmill Dinner Theater in Phoenix. Despite her passion for acting, she mostly avoided the spotlight.

Stacy chose not to pursue the level of fame Dick has, a sentiment her younger sister, Carrie Beth, echoed. After starring on her father’s show as a child, she mostly avoided the limelight. There’s not much information about Carrie Beth; however, she tied the knot to Kevin McNally in 1983.

In his interview with PEOPLE, Van Dyke raved about his ever-blossoming relationship with his wife, Arlene Silver. Despite their 46-year age gap, the longtime partners have not only made their marriage work but still feel head over heels for each other.

Van Dyke explained that his union with Silver did not face the hardships many thought they would, given their massive age gap. He credited their lack of challenges to his mindset, explaining that he always felt young at heart.

“I’m infantile to start with. I think I’m about 13, so that’s been a problem, and she’s quite mature for her age, so I don’t think we haven’t had any problem with age at all,” Van Dyke shared. He credited Silver for his youthful spirit, raving about his luck in marrying the perfect partner.