Rituals of Childhood and Raising Little Big Personalities | Rob Schiffmann

Today’s guest is Rob Schiffmann, actor, improviser, musician and most importantly - father. Rob and Jonathan grew up together and reminisce about their Tuesday baseball games and what it taught them to be great fathers of their own. They also talk about the unique path Rob had growing up with two great parents and stepparents, and examine the relationship of weekend parenting. Rob now has two daughters and they examine the delicate balance between staying involved and letting your children have space to do their own thing.

Key Takeaways:

[2:07] Jonathan and Rob reminisce about their Tuesday baseball at Plaza Park. One of the staples of the recurring meet-up was watching the dads (and sometimes moms) participating.

[5:33] Rob’s parents went through a divorce, but it resulted in him having two great stepparents, and his parents remaining good friends.

[12:46] Even in his 80’s, Rob’s dad is constantly learning and is very interested in arts, continued education and current events.

[13:25] They explore the dad’s side of having the kids only on the weekend. Both remember the activities way more than the actual homes.

[16:13] Rob’s stepfather Larry was a kind and gentle soul, and did not impose himself on the family, rather he was present and showed love. He credits Larry with helping him develop a gentle approach in life, and isn’t afraid to show his soft side.

[18:36] Rob and his wife Annie have been married for 10 years, and they have two daughters, Abby, age 7 and Penny, age 4. As the dad of two young daughters he laughs a lot, and his daughter Penny loves to take on different characters and role play til her heart’s content. Abby is a great older sister and joins in on all the fun escapades.

[24:40] Rob never thought he would follow in the footsteps of his mother and lick his finger to clean food off his daughters face as it drove him crazy, but now he does it all the time.

[27:49] Staying involved while giving your children room to be themselves and grow and learn on their own is of utmost importance to both Rob and Jonathan.

[31:31] The irony of parenting is that you raise your children as best you can, to have them leave and live their best life on their own.

[38:34] Our kids are little versions of us, so showing them how to communicate, apologize and share their emotions is one of the joys of fatherhood.

[39:33] Watching his own parents interact with his daughters is amazing to Rob. They are engaged grandparents and his children adore them. This is a peek into his own past and he experiences nostalgia remembering his own time with his dad.

[41:12] There is a renaissance of fatherhood now with grandfathers, as things are more open now than when most of us were growing up.

[45:37] You can check out one of the many projects Rob is currently working on at: Broadway’s Next Hit Musical.

Mentioned in This Episode:

Broadway’s Next Hit Musical

RobSchiffman

Quotes:

• “I scored in the parent and stepparent market. I had two role models and two big influences on who I became as a father and as a man. They paved an interesting and different path.”
• “My dad is intimidatingly intelligent.”
• “I feel like I have these two little pals that I get to take care of. We just have fun.”
• “I don’t care if they are 7 or 47, I never want to blur the lines where I’m just a friend and not their parent. We are here to serve them.”
• “They don’t need to peek through the scenes and see the neurotic dude that I am. They just need me to take care of them.”