Q: What about your children makes you laugh?
A: Probably that they're easy to pull one over on.
Q: What is your favorite family ritual?
A: Ordering Maryland crabs because I'm from there. Now we live in California, so they are a special treat for us. We get them FedExed overnight and everything. It's a little piece of home.
Q: What was your most frazzled dad moment?
A: Once when I was playing with my middle daughter Paris, she hit her tooth on a chair and chipped it. Whenever one of my kids gets hurt, I'm frazzled.
Q: What parenting issue do you and your partner disagree most about?
A: My wife, Jen, and I have good communication skills, and we don't really disagree on anything. We're strict and laid back at the same time; as long as the girls respect the boundaries, we're easygoing. We're on the same page with our parenting techniques—except I think I keep a cleaner house [laughs].
Q: What is your parenting role: good cop or bad cop?
A: Because I travel so much for work and I'm with the kids less, Jen is stricter than I am. But for some reason, they fear me more, so I'm the bad cop. We have girls, and girls run to mom for the sympathy.
Q: What do you wake up in the middle of the night thinking about?
A: Usually I wake up because the baby monitor is going off and I have to go get Tenzin. Other than that, no worries.
Q: What do you wish you had done before you had children?
A: Just more alone time with my wife.
Q: What was your dad most right about?
A: I didn't really have a father figure in my life. I think I'm a better parent than what I was raised to be. Not that my mom was bad, but she was just a single mom trying to raise a family. I learned a lot the hard way so now I can see the other side of things.
WHAT'S YOUR...
...guiltiest pleasure?
I like to have a couple of beers after I skate.
...ideal getaway?
Anywhere tropical; I love Hawaii. Also, my hometown, Baltimore. We just got back from a family vacation there.
...favorite clothing item?
My Rockstar hat.
What's your preference:
...wine or beer?
Definitely beer. Wine gives me a headache.
...cook at home or eat takeout?
Both. I like to cook, so I like to eat at home. But I like to go out and have someone else clean up every once in a while.
...coddle your tot or let him cry it out?
There's a fine line to walk there. When you see the damage and you know the magnitude of it, you comfort them. But when it's a minor thing, you brush it off. I gauge each incident.
