Pictured is Rahm Emanuel, who formerly served as White House Chief of Staff under President Obama. Subsequently, Emanuel served as the Mayor of Chicago, and he is now considering a run for the presidency. Emanuel is also dishing out advice to parents, by way of a relatively recent column in The Wall Street Journal, "Lessons From Modern Parenthood."
In 2004, Emanuel had some pretty cute kids:
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| From left to right, Leah, Ilana and Zach |
Leah, who is now 25, is "working as a consultant to government agencies." Ilana, 27, "joined the Navy Reserve after completing her bachelor's degree and is on track to earn a joint law and business degree." Zach, now 28, "joined the Navy as an intel officer after college and is now a lieutenant." All of these kids are doing just fine, in other words, and Emanuel says that there are four reasons why.
Emanuel lists, as #2, providing his kids with quantity time, not only "quality time." The #3 reason for his kids' success, says Emanuel, is that he and his wife never stinted on telling the kids "that they were loved." #4 on the list Emanuel provides is this: "Families need to nurture every child's interests."
These are all good tips for parents (and I'm speaking as a parent, myself). But what about reason #1 - the MOST important reason for his kids' success, according to Emanuel? Well, listen to his own words (emphasis added):
Our first principle, perhaps the most important, is a tribute to my Jewish mother: Meals matter. If you want to raise successful children, families have to eat together.
I have never been the President's Chief of Staff, and I have never been the Mayor of any major American city (or even a minor American city). While I think I could probably do a pretty good job as president (or mayor), I am not intending to run. Despite what might be counted as a lack of credentials, my wife Marilyn and I completely endorse this recommendation from Rahm Emanuel.
"Meals matter." Eating together, each day, matters. It really could be that this is the MOST important lesson not "from" but "for" Modern Parenthood. My sense is that the "family meal" is a disappearing part of American life - and if that's so, I count that as a big mistake.
"Families have to eat together."
Right On, Rahm!
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