Bill and Willie Geist Open Up About Fatherhood, "The Talk," and Their Amazing Wives

PS: Both of you have successful careers that require a lot of your time. What are your tips for getting quality time with your kids when your time is a little bit more limited?

BG: I think you just have to make it your number one priority and mean it. Some people say, "My kids are the most important thing. My family is the most important thing," and then they spend 12 hours a day at the office. I think Willie's secret is that he gets up at 3 or 4 in the morning, and he somehow has the energy in the afternoon and evenings to be a good parent.

WG: It's not an easily replicated model, but as long as I've had kids, I've had this schedule. The silver lining to waking up in the middle of the night is that most nights I'm home before dinner with my kids, and I can give them a bath and read to them as they go to bed. I never take that for granted.

BG: The key to parenting then is getting up at 3 or 4 in the morning. I don't think anybody wants to hear that!

Source: Courtesy of the Geist family

PS: So Willie, having had time to reflect on all those missed-out talks with your dad, will this change the way to approach topics with your children?

WG: I think I'll do a little bit better than my dad. The bar is set pretty low for that.

BG: Don't forget, Willie has Google to help him.

PS: Plus all those parenting sites.

WG: You have to intervene before Google gets to your children. I think with the help of my wife we'll figure out a strategy to talk about it. Luckily, I don't have to think about that quite yet.

Source: Courtesy of the Geist family

PS: Bill, you talk about the evolution of parenting in the book. Can you expand on that?

BG: The modern father is definitely evolving. I came from a family where the parents' roles were just strictly defined. My dad worked and brought home the paycheck, and mom was mom 100 percent of the time. I think I evolved a little bit from that, and I think Willie has evolved a lot. The world's changing, and people are finally catching up with it.

WG: It was also just so different. There wasn't the obsession with car seats, and strollers, and all the little gadgets you need to have for kids. I was riding around the front seat of our Volkswagen as a toddler — standing on the front seat jumping up and down.

PS: So would you agree that you're part of the evolution?

WG: I think you watch your own parents, and then when you get to that age, you look back. You take all the best things and you leave some of the other things behind, and hopefully you improve upon it. I think it's funny though. People say, "Oh, you have a new baby. Do you do diapers?" Of course I do diapers! What am I going to do? Sit there on the couch with a brandy snifter while my wife does the work?

BG: I just sat there without the brandy snifter. I didn't have a brandy snifter!

WG: Fetch me more brandy, love!

Source: Courtesy of the Geist family

PS: You two share a lot of memories in your book, but are there any particular moments that stand out as your best parenting moment?

WG: I get such joy out of it. You sort of spend the first few years of their lives drilling these things into them, and getting them up and running. Now, to some extent, you see them grow up and to be their own people. I also love when they interact with each other. We were out to lunch a few weeks ago and they were at the kids' table, and a couple of the other kids were kind of getting on my son, George. My daughter, Lucie, didn't know I was watching, but I was and she just stood up and went after the two boys and I said, "My God, that's my daughter." I didn't teach her to do that, but she knows that that's how we do it in family.

BG: It's lots and lots of thousands of moments, you know? When you were proud of them, or when you thought maybe we did something right.

Source: Courtesy of the Geist family

PS: Of course, you two wouldn't be fathers if it weren't for your amazing wives. How have they helped you become better parents?

BG: Oh yeah! I mean this whole thing is a sham, really. Jody was the parent. She was there to discipline when needed and give great advice.

WG: I think in my case, my wife and I have known each other since we were 11 years old, so we already know how to handle each other. We look at parenting as total equal partnership. My wife, Christina, always says, "We don't keep score." Like, "Well I got up early today so you get up early tomorrow," or "You took them to practice today, you have to do that." Instead of thinking about it so much, just pick someone up when they need a break or look tired. Just help out and do your part. My wife is so good at being a mom, though, so she kind of makes my side of it easy. I get to learn from her.

Source: Courtesy of the Geist family

PS: So aside from finding a great partner, what's the one piece of advice you would give to parents?

BG: I would say not to take the domineering military approach to parenting. I think having a great sense of humor has been key in our family.

WG: I think sense of humor has always been critical, and also be the way about yourself. We weren't allowed to be self-serious in our house. We sort of have this loving, mocking relationship with people who are self-serious.

BG: I think it keeps you humble. It says, "I'm just like everybody else, and I have the same faults."

WG: Just make life fun. You have expectations of them doing their homework, being respectful to people, having manners, and all that stuff, but we try to make life fun. If you have two parents who kind of see it that way, then hopefully their kids will have a happy childhood.

Source: Courtesy of the Geist family