“At this stage in your child’s life, what are your deepest joys and challenges as a parent?”
It’s the one question we always put to our cover subjects because, in asking them to consider their lives presently, we usually get answers that are fresh, immediate, and real. I’ve been asking the same question of myself lately, because my daughter, Elena, soon to be 13, is celebrating her bat mitzvah in about a week, and I’m looking forward to honoring her with a few kind thoughts. But which ones?
In this month’s cover interview with Andrew Shue and Amy Robach, both had memorable but very different answers to the question, with Amy dwelling on her daughters’ innocent exuberance for life and Andrew on how all is right in the world when he sees his teenagers’ laugh and be happy. With that one, he helped me clarify my own thinking about my daughter and part of what I’m likely to share on the big day.
I’m sure many you remember Andrew as one of the stars of “Melrose Place”; he also is one of the founders of CafeMom, the most popular chat site on the web for moms. As a prominent news correspondent at ABC and frequent substitute host on “Good Morning America,” Amy is a big success and public figure as well. But here’s why you’ll like them: They came, contemplated, bantered, laughed, and really shared—and there’s just a lot to relate to.
With Father’s Day as my cue, I always try to fortify the June issue with a few great stories about fatherhood. In addition to Andrew’s wise words, I also want to highlight “Lessons From New Dad Bootcamp”; NYC dad Joe Wack’s personal essay on raising a son who, he hopes, will share his taste in indie music and superheroes; and all the profiles of the wonderful men in our annual Dads We Love package. As an editor, I’d remiss if I didn’t also let you know that one those dads, the author Andrew Solomon, may well have written the most important book on modern family that I have ever read. How’s that for teaser?
Happy June & Happy Father’s Day,
Eric Messinger,
