Without question, for nearly all of us, parenthood is the center, the privilege, and the highlight of our lives. Like a glowing pin at the center of a large target in the middle of the night, our children are really our focus points. We often see that very clearly, even with dark glasses.
That’s why it’s not surprising that when Katie Couric interviewed this morning in Seattle at KING5 News, she responded that it was her motherhood she was most proud of:
I think I did a pretty good job
She meant raising what she described as her “nice girls with good values.” Her daughter is just 21 years and her younger girl is 16 years old. But out of all of her opportunities in the media, all of her fame and celebrity, all of her fundraising and initiatives in cancer prevention, and her very public life on the news, she is most proud of her motherhood.
I’m not surprised. The complexity of raising children draws upon our instinct, our wisdom, our decision-making, our education, our communities, our families, and our values. Getting our children to adulthood with judgment, respect, vision, and compassion is a enormous task. This job we parents hold demands extraordinary things–and success here is more respectable than any other accomplishment we complete. Parenthood is that important. Parenthood is that precious of a resource.
Katie listed her work to improve cancer screening and raise hundreds of millions of dollars for cancer research “dream teams” as her second biggest accomplishment.
After I did my live colonoscopy we saw colon cancer screening go up by 20%
She briefly discussed the role of epigenetics in cancer prevention and the exciting time to improve health. When asked about all of the work that we see–that public work like reigning on the Today Show for years and the CBS evening news–she said:
I’m proud of my work, yes.
And that’s where I heard it. The Mom-first part. It was in her tone. How so many of us work hard to solve problems but maintain clarity around the role of our children in our lives. Yes, she is proud of her incredible reach and success in the media, her compassionate reporting, but her parenthood–that’s what lit her up.
She’s fighting to create accessible, intelligent content on her television show, Katie, this fall. And I certainly can’t wait to hear her showcase thoughtful medical information. The time in which we live is thrilling. It’s full, digital, intense, and very fast. We live in a time of dramatic medical advancement. We can reach and connect with thoughtful research and advice in a matter of seconds online.
We need big accomplishments more than ever. We need improved prevention, improved focus, and improved cures. But it’s those children of ours that created the biggest gift and best challenge of all…
Delighted To Meet Katie
She’s as warm as you imagine her to be. After Katie’s interview I had a quick minute to meet and chat with her. I posited some of my ideas for improving health information and for empowering patients to find quality health information in digital and traditional media. A sincere privilege to get a chance to talk with her. And also to get a chance, up close, to oooogle over her beautiful shoes…
jennyonthespot says
Great recap and perspective on the morning! Was a treat to meet you and hope we can connect again soon!
Susannah Fox says
Green with envy! I saw Katie interview Billie Jean King at TEDMED and was very impressed with her insight and wit.
My eye was caught today by some tweets by @nprmonkeysee who was covering a press conference about Katie’s new show:
“It’s surprising to me how hard people are on Katie Couric, given that she has an actual proven record of using daytime TV for good.”
“If you used your position as, like, a baseball announcer to get people to undergo cancer screening, you would be a hero.”
I clicked on the hashtag – #tcas12 – and saw a ton of tweets by other TV critics indeed giving Katie a pretty hard time, but also some praising her intelligence. The one I like best was about how she hears “in bullet time” – answering questions before the person has even stopped talking. That’s the impression I came away with at TEDMED. I’m excited to see how she uses that power for good.
Khanh Linh says
I am fond of Katie Couric.
Yet, yesterday, Sunday, I read Seattle Times magazine about her…the article mentioned that she had been dating , even to a boy-toy 17 years her junior…Then , how can she be good model to her daughters?
JRM says
Her boyfriend, of quite a long time, happens to be in his late 30s, never married, gainfully employed, well educated, intelligent, polite, kind, athletic and good-looking. How is dating someone who fits that description not a good role model for her girls? Why wouldn’t you want your daughter to date someone like that? Would you make a comment like this if he was 17 years her senior??
Phoenix Family Medical Clinic says
Great, good for her! However I agree with Khanh, how can she be a role model to her daughters by dating someone about half her age?