Arnold Schwarzenegger was arguably the biggest movie star of his era. From the mid-80s to the mid-90s, Schwarzenegger was in his prime and acted in legendary films like The Terminator and Predator franchises. Schwarzenegger’s family also enjoyed his work. From visiting sets to watching their father act, Maria Shriver and the kids often had a great time on the sets of Arnie’s films. However, things changed when the former Mr. Olympia switched his career to politics in 2003.

While the Schwarzenegger family enjoyed their time on film sets, the opposite happened when they visited Governor Schwarzenegger in Sacramento. In his Netflix documentary series, Arnold, the 75-year-old recounted his family’s reaction to the above-mentioned. The bodybuilding legend also explained why it became difficult balancing public service and family time.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s kids hated their father’s new workplace

The 75-year-old revealed his kids would come to the sets and do their homework. They loved the explosions and fighting when the Terminator actor shot action scenes. However, when they visited the Governator in Sacramento, the formal and drab administrative building seemed much less exciting. They also didn’t the like the serious politicians who worked there.

“They said, Daddy. I hate it here. The people act so serious. Why they are wearing suits?” said the FUBAR actor reflecting upon his kids’ emotions back then. The transition from fun movie sets where the crew would have fun with them to politicians who only greeted them formally was jarring for the kids. Katherine, Patrick, Christina, and Christopher Schwarzenegger would also complain to their father as he became busier than ever.

“My kids would say, ‘You didn’t come to my recital on Tuesday!… Yeah, and was about my basketball game on Wednesday?'” the 75-year-old recalled. The governor had to spend four days in Sacramento, and his schedule didn’t allow him to be flexible. So to make his kids understand, Schwarzenegger said he had to serve the people of California. However, his explanation didn’t help.

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“Yeah, but you promised family’s supposed to be always number one,” Arnie mentioned, remembering what his kids said, in Part 3: The American. Maria Shriver was also unhappy and didn’t help her husband explain things. Instead, Maria Shriver told her kids to “let daddy know how you really feel,” said Arnie. However, Schwarzenegger realized he couldn’t ignore his family for his goals, so he worked harder to make time. Yet, the problems were persistent.

Arnold Schwarzenegger faced many challenges as a governor

Every year, wildfires rage through California, and Schwarzenegger saw the damage it did. In the docuseries, the Govornator said one day he went to bed knowing that firefighters were fighting over 500 fires. However, he woke up at 5:00 the next morning and learned that the number had crossed 1200.

However, despite all the challenges, the 75-year-old left California in a better state than when he took over, according to the documentary. From financial betterment to historic environmental reforms, the Gorvrnator found success in politics as well. While his kids might not have liked their father’s new job in 2003, they grew up to learn that it was significant.