Danielle Fishel’s six-year-old son, Adler, struggled with his mother’s absence while competing at Dancing with the stars.
Appears on Pod meets the world podcast on Monday, the 44-year-old actress said that while things at home seemed fine, she quickly realized her son was having a harder time than he was letting on.
“So my family has had to make so many adjustments in our daily lives since I started season 34 of Dancing with the stars” said Fishel, who shares sons Adler, 6, and Keaton, 4, with husband Jensen Karp. “I just can’t be there as often as I used to be.”
Before joining the show, Fishel said she was always involved in her children’s routines like school pickups, sports and afternoon activities. But her demanding practice schedule made that unlikely.
One day, Adler’s teacher called her after he told his classmates that his father had lost his job and that his mother had died.
“The teacher reached out because she was understandably concerned,” Fishel recalled. “I showed up at school and when he saw me he ran over and said, ‘Mom, what are you doing here?'”
Fishel told him she had just come from practice and wanted to see him. When she mentioned that she would be back later, Adler broke down.
“He said, ‘I hate this job. Why did you take it? All you do is dance, dance, dance. You never hang out with me and Keaton anymore. I want you to quit,'” Fishel recounted.
Fishel admitted she felt crushed but stood her ground. “I told him, ‘Mom loves her job and I committed. It’s not forever, but I’m not going to quit’.”
Although Adler was still upset and even slammed the car door when they got home, Fishel said they are working through it as a family.
Fishel, who starred as Topanga on Boy Meets Worldwas eliminated from Dancing with the stars last week.
