Michael Douglas recently opened up about the challenges of being an older parent. In an interview with The Telegraph, the actor spoke about becoming an "empty nester" and shared his experience visiting his child at college for Parents' Day. Douglas is father to son Cameron, 45, whom he shares with Diandra Luker, as well as father to son Dylan, 23, and daughter Carys, 21, whom he shares with Catherine Zeta-Jones. In the interview, Douglas detailed the awkward scenario he had when visiting one of his younger children at college for Parent's Day. "'This is not grandfather’s day, this is parents’ day.' I say ‘I am a parent!’," he recalled. "That was a rough one."

Approaching his 80th birthday, Douglas said that he has inevitably slowed down a bit. "I’m just sliding by just now. I’ve reached the point in terms of skiing and a couple of other activities that I’m no longer able to keep up with them on any basis," he admitted. "But it’s nice having somebody look after you and say, ‘You okay dad?’" he shared. "I have to thank my kids, Dylan and Carys. They’re just extraordinary beings. I probably certainly have to thank their mum and Catherine. They’ve just been a joy. We’ve had no issues per se. Had a lovely, lovely life together. Dylan is completely out of school now, and Carys has got one more year of college," he told the outlet. "But they brought both Catherine and I just a tremendous amount of joy." The actor and his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, are newly "empty-nesters" which has allowed them to do more of what they want.  "We’re empty nesters, so we can get around a lot more than we used to raising two children in your 50s, 60s, and into your 70s."

Douglas reflected on his relationship with his eldest son, Cameron, acknowledging that he was not the best parent to him while he was growing up. "Cameron suffered a lot from that time," Douglas admitted of a period when he was heavily sought after in Hollywood. "I was just overwhelmed and overloaded by my work. And family was really taking third place after work, our country and then the family, as opposed to when Catherine and I got together," he explained. His relationship with Cameron has improved in recent years, the two attending the Vanity Fair Oscar Party together recently.