My First Celebrity Interview

A little while back I wrote a post about parental blindness based around the fact that every mum and dad wholeheartedly believes theirs is the cutest baby on the planet.

My theory is well-founded by the fact that last year the Bonds Baby Search received 27,259 entries, 722,788 total votes and 1,551,208 unique visitors to its sight.

In a weeks' time on Tues 19^th Feb the Bonds Babysearch 2013, will launch and I have no doubt the numbers will be even greater as word gets out that there are now even more categories open for entry.

This week I have been extremely fortunate to hone my journalistic skills by interviewing Aussie tennis legend, father of two and Bonds Ambassador Pat Rafter who is helping promote the babysearch. Those of you who know me realise interviewing celebrities is not something I have ever done before so I was very nervous about coming up with some decent questions.

Thanks to my trusty friends Facebook and Twitter, I did a little research by asking my followers to help me with a few questions that would hopefully elevate me from sounding like the amateur mummy blogger than I am.

So Mummas and friends, here’s how it all went down……

Pat, I understand you don’t have a Twitter account. Is this because you aren’t interested in social media or have you made a conscious decision to protect your (and your familys’) privacy?

I don’t feel the need to be in contact with people all the time. I like having a tiny bit of secrecy about my life. I don’t Tweet and I don’t Facebook, but I will have to be up with it when my kids start – we don’t allow them to do it yet, but there will come a time when they want to start doing it.
I see a lot of time wasted on Twitter and Facebook, and prefer to be outdoors. I turn off all my communications when I’m doing things, there are about three hours a days when I’m not contactable, even by phone, you can’t get hold of me unless you have my home number. Nothing in this world is that important that you need to be able to be contacted all the time. But I understand that’s the way the world is, and at some stage I will have to be a bit more aware of it.

What sports do you enjoy with your kids?

I’ve taken them on surf trips and they love to go skiing in the snow, and sometimes we just go to the park and throw the Frisbee or kick the football together. And, of course, we all play tennis together.
But I also like watching them develop their individual interests – my daughter loves ballet and gymnastics, and my son enjoys tennis and soccer.

If one of your children wanted to pursue a professional sporting career how strongly would you support them (no matter what the sport)?

I would definitely support them, no matter what the sport, if they loved it. My boy used to play rugby, but he wants to play soccer now. And I’m secretly relieved. So, yes, we will do everything to support them if they choose to continue with sport as a career. But their schooling must come first and they have to finish Year 12 - education is very important to us.

How do you manage the demanding schedule of sport/work + being a public figure along with being a dad?

Just recently, in taking the Davis Cup captaincy role, I’ve found myself a lot busier than I used to be in the early years of my children’s lives. It was very important for me to be around for their development. Now that they’re a bit older I am travelling a lot more, which is different for me.
I think I’ve got a decent balance, and I do travel with the kids as well. The public image side of things is tricky with the kids, but we try to manage that as best we can. I’m conscious of it, but it’s a reality of our life as well. We try not to let them be affected by it all.

Which is easier: winning the US Open or getting a child to bed?

Winning the US Open is definitely easier! You can be selfish in your work but with a kid if they don’t want to sleep they don’t want to sleep. Naughty corners are generally a help with that one. Since my kids are older now it’s not quite as big an issue.

What morals do you try to instil in your children?

We always teach them to respect people, use good manners, treat everyone the same - my mother always taught me to treat everyone equally, whether they are janitors or billionaires.
And we tell them to look out for people if they’re hurt or need help. We also bring them up to be humble with what they’ve got.

What has been the most valuable piece of advice about parenting you’ve ever received?

Before the kids were born we read up, we watched the super nanny and we felt like they helped, but every kid’s different. You just have to learn through trial and error as a parent.

If you could give one piece of advice to a new Dad, what would it be?

As a father, give them as many cuddles and goodnight hugs and kisses as you can. Our kids won’t go to sleep unless we do that. And just be there for them, because it pays such huge dividends in the long run.

What is your favourite item from the Bonds range?

I still love the undies, but I’m also really liking the tees at the moment. I think about eight years ago I didn’t like them that much, I don’t usually like the fit of raglan tees, but now the materials and the fit are much better, and I like that they now come without the tags. I’m wearing one now!

And the question women all around Australia want to know: Is it natural or an airbrushed fitting in those Bonds undies shots?