Ewan McGregor's Advice To Parents

Actor Ewan McGregor is notoriously private when it comes to his own family life, but the dad-of-three shares a some wise words on the topic of parenting in the March issue of Men’s Health magazine:

“Pay attention: I recognize it can be boring to play with young children - to tell a story over and over again, let's say - but the secret is being there. If you've made a decision to play with your children, then play with them. Don't be looking through papers on your desk or sneaking off to the computer. Turn off your BlackBerry. Lose yourself in their world. Even if you do it for a short time, it will mean a lot to you and to them."

Ewan knows first-hand the challenges and rewards of family life – he and his wife Eve have been married for 14 years and have daughters Clara, 13, Esther, 7, and Jamiyan, 7, who they adopted from Mongolia in 2006.

The 38-year-old Scottish actor believes that in the end time spent with his kids is more valuable than any extravagant gift he could give to them, saying, “I'm not going to give my girl a pony just because she wants a pony. I don't even buy them iPods. You have to set limits with children.”

Himself an avid adventurer, Ewan says that he hopes it’s a trait he can foster in his girls as well.

"If I can pass along one message to my children, it's that I want them to see there's so much out there if you're up for the adventure."