Family & Fatherhood

My Father: The Man in Black

My father wasn't the perfect ideal of a father, there's no doubt. He struggled. He dealt with addiction throughout his life. But the good in him triumphed. I learned at a very early age that it was of the utmost importance to show honor to your father. It wasn't just something that he told me or taught me by disciplinary measures. It was something that I saw my father display to his parents. I never saw him disrespect my grandfather, even though he may have disagreed with him.

My Father: The President

In 1975, I admitted to a reporter that I had smoked pot. It became a big hubbub, very controversial. When the press asked my father, the president, what he thought of it, he said he raised his kids to tell the truth and think for themselves and he saw no reason to change that now. It showed me that he was a man of principle. He didn't just talk the talk. He was also the least pretentious president in modern times and did not wield power for power's sake. He was a principled person who came to the presidency in sort of a unique fashion, which made him a different president for that very reason.

My Father: The Outlaw

When I was a child, I would crawl onto my father's lap in the evenings while he sat in the Morris chair in the living room next to the huge fireplace. He would read fairy tales to me, and when the opportunity presented itself, he would say, "Son, there are some things you should know about women (or love, or fatherhood, or booze)," and I would listen carefully to my father's wisdom with faith and awe.

My Father: The Spy

My father felt used by his superiors. The men at the White House, his boss Charles Colson, and Attorney General John Mitchell saw in him someone who was deeply committed to furthering the aims of democracy around the world, and so he was maneuvered into doing things that, he told me, in his gut he knew were wrong. I learned from him to trust my gut instinct on things. He taught me never to trust other men to put your interests at heart.

My Father: The Preacher

My father became very close with the Nixons. He was fairly close with John F. Kennedy. After the Watergate era, however, he said, "I'm not going to say anything to a politician again unless it's of a spiritual nature. I'm not going to talk with them about political issues, about international issues. I'm just going to keep my mouth shut and speak to them about things that affect their hearts." I've watched him my whole life. He is my example. My father doesn't keep a record of wrongs. If someone hurts him or disappoints him, my father just forgives the person and moves on. I think that's what love is all about.

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