Happy Father’s Day! They make us laugh when we’re sad, they encourage us to waive a new dream each morning, push us harder and encourage us to believe in ourselves. They are our heroes! I want to share a special an candid interview with one of the greatest dads I know, my husband JR. He means to world to my daughter Amber and I, our guiding light and our shining star. We love you so much! Thank you for being who you are and always being there for us.
JR Ridinger on Being A Dad, Balancing Life and Favorite Thing To Do With His Daughters.
1. What is the first thing you do in the morning? Get up! Ha ha! I look at my to do list and review my goals for the day. I take my Isotonix vitamins and drink my coffee. I look at my schedule for the day, eat breakfast and hope that Amber comes to see me while in this process.
2. How has being a dad changed your life? What do you mean? It runs my life!
3. How do you manage to balance family and friends while traveling around the world? I try to bring my daughter with us. Traveling around the world is the best education that one can get and after 8th grade Amber went to Miami University online now Kaplan so she could academically and travel. Amber always made friends with our friends and they became her friends and she basically took over. Amanda was in a different zone and period of my life and had her own group of great friends so I never saw a conflict. It was always the more the merrier and together is better.
4. Who or what motivates you in the morning? The same thing that motivates me all the time… getting ahead of the day, getting a lot done and making the most of it with my time while enjoying the journey.
5. What is your favorite thing to do with Amber? Be with her! I love when she wants to do something with me like swim, ski (she is a really good skier) jet ski, hike, campi, go out to dinner, even shop. Going to dinner with Duane is always great too. I used to love to study with her and help with her homework. I guess I want to enthusiastic and took too long because she stopped doing it and took control of it which is just as good because she is super smart. She is a wiz in college.
6. What is something that Amber does that makes you smile? She is so gracious and eloquent socially. I have to smile at how she manipulates me when she wants something. I smile at how much she lives and how loving she is. She is all about love and respect. I smile at how much she loves animals. I smile at how she dresses like a princess or royalty and is a fashion icon. In fact, she is a genius in this area and I know she will do something that will be worldwide acclaimed and recognized. I smile at the fact that she is more like my parent than I am hers as she wants to make sure I am home early, don’t drink too much, hang around with the right people, and behave correctly. Amanda on the other hand is so street wise that I don’t need to worry about her she travels to the beat of another drummer but makes her own path on the road she wants to take.
7. What is something that people don’t know about you? I don’t know what they know about me first of all and I really don’t think about it. I cherish privacy and I am very private. I hate wasting time. I never grew up and I am a kid at heart. I believe in the impossible. I see most everything as humorous and as a satire and I am very funny. I entertain myself. I am shy. I love adventure. I loved school and never missed a day. I don’t like to watch sports as much as I like to play them. The question would probably be better answered by my wife. She knows everything about me.
8. What is one childhood memory you’ll never forget? I had a great childhood. Going to my father’s football games and wrestling practices. Campins, sandlot football teams. Going to the beach at the Jersey shore. Building forts, my laboratory, zoos, nature collections, train sets, scouting, summer camp, family trips to every historical site imaginable, the neighborhood gang of kids, and high school athletic and sports. We were always doing something and never bored.
