Last week, I mentioned that I went to an event hosted by Hayneedle.com, an online furnishings retailer in celebration of National Hammocks Day and to announce the nationwide campaign of Childhelp.org, a national organization dedicated to helping victims of child abuse and neglect.
After learning about the organziation, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kathie Lee Gifford,
I attended the event with gaynycdad.com so they asked if we would do the interview in tandem. I did not care so we waited with the other writers. After about 10 minutes, we were whisked away to the interview room.
Kathie Lee was gracious in introducing herself to Mitch and me. Before we started the interview, she asked us if we wanted a drink.
“Are you drinking?” Yes, I having a champagne. I could not resist having a drink with Kathie Lee, how fun is that to say, “I had champagne with Kathie Lee Gifford.”
Q: How long have you been working with Childhelp.org?
A: “I have working with them for close to 20 years, trying to make a difference the best way I can. Did you know that every 10 seconds, there is a report of child abuse? That is a startling statistic.”
Q: What is a parenting tip you can give parents?
A: “Structure is the key to parenting. Children need to have structure in their daily lives”
Q: How many hammocks do you have? This question came from gaynycdad.com
A: Three, one in all of our houses.
At that point, we talked about a wide range of subjects from parents needing to decompress from all the gadgets, cellphones, technology and yes, it might be a seque but swinging in a hammock is a great way to relax and reduce stress. “In these economic times, parents are under so much stress that relaxing is a way to reduce neglect and child abuse.”
All in all, we had a great conversation. My only regret is that I did not tape the conversation. She was so nice and great conversationalist, she made it to easy to talk to and it was hard to write what I did, I was too busy talking to her. I must admit, I had a great time.
And I am sure you are curious, and I would be remiss to mention. She looked great.
At the end, she asked her assistant to send us her book, Party Animals. It came today and it was addressed to my daughter. That was truly nice and shows a lot of class in my book.
I somehow always knew Kathie Lee would be a genuine lady! So glad you got to meet & talk with her.