My senior year of high school, when I was getting recruited for college, my dad goes to me, ‘You can become an Olympic champion.’ And that’s the first time that I’d heard someone else say that to me. I was like, ‘Uh, are you talking to me?’ less than 1 minute read
My dad was an absentee dad, so it was always important to me that I was part of my daughter’s life, and she deserved two parents, which is part of the rationale behind us staying married for 30 years. less than 1 minute read
In my case, I was born to parents who were very young, and I don’t think they were entirely ready to have a child. My dad was going to college and working two or three jobs at the same time, and my mum was working and going to school. less than 1 minute read
My dad had a personal style which was very attractive. It was quite reserved and quite elegant, and it was infectious. less than 1 minute read
I was always the new kid in school, I’m the kid from a broken family, I’m the kid who had no dad showing up at the father-son stuff, I’m the kid that was using food stamps at the grocery store. less than 1 minute read
My mom and dad got divorced when I was very young, and growing up in a family where the head of the household wasn’t a man made a big difference. less than 1 minute read
I stayed in Baghdad every summer until I was 14. My dad’s sister is still there, but many of my relatives have managed to get out. People forget that there are still people there who are not radicalized in any particular direction, trying to live normal lives in a very difficult situation. less than 1 minute read
My dad was working abroad, in Iraq, and he was a doctor. We used to go and visit him, in Baghdad, off and on. For the first ten years of my life, we used to go backwards and forwards to Baghdad, so that was quite amazing. I spent a lot of time traveling around the Middle East. less than 1 minute read
