Mark-Paul Gosselaar's 4 Kids: Everything to Know

Mark-Paul Gosselaar is busy these days as the father of four children: Michael, Ava, Dekker and Lachlyn.

He shares his two eldest, Michaela and Ava, with his ex Lisa Ann Russell, and his two youngest, Dekker and Lachlyn, with his wife Catriona McGinn.

Mark-Paul has enjoyed every stage of fatherhood. “It’s fun to see the different stages [kids] are for,” he told PEOPLE in 2019, before joking, “We’re busy with all aspects of parenting right now, from being a custom chef to an Uber driver to a Postmates driver to an Amazon delivery driver. We cover all the bases.”

In another interview with PEOPLE, he described how he and McGinn reminisced about the funny and sweet moments of parenthood.

“The moment Dekker sat down and Michael went to bed without a night light [and] Ava lost a tooth — milestones happen literally every day with children,” he said. “From time to time we write it down in the diary. Whenever the kids say a funny quote, we write it down … and then read them out loud. It just shows how time has moved on.”

Here’s everything you need to know about Mark-Paul Gosselaar’s four children: Michael, Ava, Dekker and Lachlyn.

Michael Charles Gosselaar, 20

Michael Charles Gosselaar.

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Mark-Paul and Russell’s eldest son, Michael Charles Gosselaar, was born in Los Angeles on January 31, 2004.

In 2019, Mark-Paul told PEOPLE that his Saved by the Bell fame helped his son score some social points at school. “My 14-year-old son goes to school and says, ‘Dad, the girls love you!’ and I say, ‘No, they love Zack Morris,'” he said.

Mark-Paul added that his children are, for the most part, “indifferent” to his acting work. “Honestly, my kids are ‘screenagers’ — if it’s not something they can watch in five minutes, then they don’t do it,” he explained.

In the 2016 interview Party tonightMark-Paul said that Michael was interested in following in his father’s acting footsteps.

“He has athletic ability, but he doesn’t want to be an athlete,” the actor said. – He wants to do something in this business, so I will support it.

However, Mark-Paul stressed that he wanted his son to become an actor as an adult, adding: “I wouldn’t want him to go through that as a child, but when he turns 18 he can do whatever he wants.”

Mark-Paul spoke about his own experience as a child actor and why he doesn’t want his children to enter the industry when they’re young. “That’s one of the reasons I don’t want my kids in it because I don’t feel like it’s a place for kids,” he said in the Hulu documentary Child of the 90s.

Ava Lorenn Gosselaar, 18

Ava Lorenn Gosselaar.

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Mark-Paul and Russell’s daughter, Ava Lorenn Gosselaar, was born in LA on May 7, 2006.

When Ava was just 2 years old, Mark-Paul said that having a father changed the way he thought about his career.

“Having children has matured me in ways that I think are positive for my career and yes, my family influences the type of work I take,” he told The The Washington Post. “Mostly with travel. If the show were to be filmed in a state other than California, I would have to make a very educated decision about that.”

Ava is a caring older sister, although she might argue with her older brother Michael from time to time. After Dekker was born, Mark-Paul joked to PEOPLE, “They still hate each other, but they love the baby, so all the love goes to Dekker now.”

What Ava definitely enjoys is the daddy show. “Saved by the Bell it just keeps generating more and more fans,” the actor told PEOPLE in 2015. “My 11-year-old and my 9-year-old, they watch it for nothing!”

The father of four also hinted that Ava has some serious athletic ability.

“I could probably tell you that one of my daughters is probably better than one of my sons at throwing,” he said in 2016, when Ava was 10 and his youngest, Lachlyn, was 18 months. “Baseball has been dominated by men for years and it is a man’s sport. I don’t think we live in that world anymore. I think we have evolved a little more. It is important for my daughters that they can dream and make their dreams come true.”

Dekker Edward Gosselaar, 11

Dekker Edward Gosselaar.

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Mark-Paul and McGinn married in July 2012 and had a son, Dekker Edward Gosselaar, on September 30, 2013.

Shortly before Dekker’s birth, the actor gave PEOPLE some hints about his name, saying, “It’s not traditional and it’s not too unusual. It’s different, but it’s nothing strange.” He also said: “We’ve always wanted a big family. The children are looking forward to their little brother and sister and are asking lots of funny questions at the moment.”

After welcoming his third child, Mark-Paul told PEOPLE, “We are overjoyed to have a new addition to our family. We are madly in love with our little boy. He is healthy and just perfect – everything we could wish for.”

Dekker’s parents said he was a smart, motivated student. On the podcast Children under constructionthe pair talked about how Dekker was adjusting to distance learning during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“He’s like us in that he has that built-in resilience,” McGinn said. “Like, he just knows, ‘This is what I have to do. Everyone does this.’ ”

“He’s just started his journey at school, but he actually loves the job. He loves math, it’s the first thing he wants to do in the morning. He loves to read, he loves his teachers,” added Mark-Paul.

Dekker wasn’t as enthusiastic about the writing, but for the most part, “he enjoys school,” the actor continued. “We are lucky. He made it easy for us.”

Lachlyn Hope Gosselaar, 9

Lachlyn Hope Gosselaar.

Jesse Grant/Getty

Mark-Paul and McGinn’s youngest daughter, Lachlyn Hope Gosselaar, was born in LA on February 17, 2015.

“I’m so in love with our new baby girl, Lachlyn,” said Mark-Paul X (formerly known as Twitter)shortly after her birth. “Mom and baby are healthy and happy. 2 boys, 2 girls, perfect!”

While four kids may seem like a lot, the actor previously told PEOPLE that he’s ready to take it. “It’s a lot super business,” he said in an interview just months after Lachlyn’s birth.

Then joking about the older children looking after Lachlyn and Dekker, Mark-Paul said: “Michael will take Lachlyn, Ava will take Dekker. Everyone helps! Babysitting is free!”

He also said that the Gosselaar family leads a household with four children. “Mom had four of us. My brother is four. It is run by the Gosselaar family. I stick to tradition – he explained.

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Source: HIS Education