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TwitThisThe Correct Philosphy
RD: At several 9/11 funerals, you addressed the children of fallen firemen and policemen. You said that in one sense they had gotten a gift. They now knew -- and would know forever -- that their father was a great man. Now your son, Andrew, and daughter, Caroline, know you are being hailed as a great man too. Do you worry that they might feel pressure to live up to your hero's image?Giuliani: It's hard for me to think of myself as a great man. I don't accept that. I have never wanted my children to feel they had to live their lives in a particular way -- or that they had to compete with me in any way. My mother and father taught me: Find something you enjoy doing, and you will be happy. That's what I tell my children. And not just tell them -- I try to conduct myself in a way that allows them to find their own path to happiness.
RD: Have you talked to Andrew or Caroline about this since 9/11?
Giuliani: [Laughing] No. My son, who is now 16, is much more interested in meeting ballplayers -- his real heroes -- than talking to me. And while I was mayor, my 12-year-old daughter was most impressed that I met *NSYNC. That's the way kids are, if you don't distort them.
RD: Perhaps overcompensating for his background, your father insisted that you never cheat, nor lie -- to the point where he overdid it. Do you try to avoid overdoing it with your son and daughter?
Giuliani: My father constantly put tremendous pressure on me about being honest about everything. My mother had a different way. You could never meet her expectations. If you came home with a 90, she'd say, how come it's not 95? If you got 100, how come you didn't get all 100s? That was her imperfect way of motivating. So when I see my kids' report cards, I give them positive reinforcement. I don't want to put extraordinary pressure on them. Some parents make their children believe that whatever happens is so crucial, and it really isn't. Children's lives are not determined in their 10th year or 15th year or by whether they get into the right college or have one bad year in school. I think too much pressure is put on kids to be perfect.
RD: How will New York City react if it is attacked again?
Giuliani: New York is going to be here forever, and the people of the city will do what they have to do to get through whatever happens.
RD: What makes you so confident?
Giuliani: People who live in freedom are stronger than any terrorists. They are operating out of hatred and maniacal anger that ultimately will destroy them. Hitler did tremendous damage, but he didn't win. Our ideas of freedom and democracy are right. I don't mean this in a belligerent way. I mean it in a moral and philosophical way: We're right, and they're wrong. That doesn't mean all our ideas are right, or that we're always right. But our philosophy is correct; their philosophy is warped. Ultimately, many more people will follow our way of life than theirs.
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