Kelsey Grammer Confesses to 'Trying to Make Up' for Neglecting His Older Kids When They Were Little

Yahoo

10-05-2025

Nobody would ever give Kelsey Grammer a Father of the Year award for the way he raised his oldest kids. That's because the 70-year-old said that he was never there for his first two children. But, the good news is that he's willing to try and make up for his absence all these years later, and he has some advice for other fathers who may be in the same boat.
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Grammer has seven children, three that he shares with his wife Kayte Walsh, and then four adult children from past relationships.
"I have neglected a couple of the kids in my life, especially the first two," Grammer told People magazine. "I'm trying to make up for a little of it now. I'm still their dad, so you can always have [a] chance to show up."
The father of seven reveals that he didn't have much patience for his older kids when they were younger, and he never really communicated what he wanted from them while they were growing up.
"I probably should have been a little more clear and maybe less tolerant with the older ones," he recalled. "I'm pretty tolerant with the young ones, but I'm clear about how there's certain expectations and certain ways to navigate through a social situation: keep it close to the vest and play it straight, and you're going to be well-served in your life."
These days, Grammer says he's a little more specific with them about doing their homework and being ready for whatever life has to throw at them. "[I tell them], 'What's your job in life? Showing up.'"
Another lesson he's trying to instill in his children? Letting go of the past. That's something Grammer himself struggled with after his then 18-year-old sister was raped and murdered by Freddie Glenn.
"They say stuff all the time, like, 'I want to kill [Freddie],'" he revealed. "I tell them, 'I understand it and respect you for it, but you're going to want more from life than that.'"
His new approach to fatherhood appears to be working, too. That's because four of his seven kids seem to be following in their father's footsteps by entering the entertainment business. "I know it was tough sometimes and maybe I wasn't around all the time, but you're doing what your dad loves doing, and that's a cool thing," Grammer said of his kids.
Well, it's never too late to start over, and it seems like that's exactly what Grammer is trying to do with his kiddos these days. Kudos to him!
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