Kristi Yamaguchi on Her ‘Greatest Fear’ As a Mom

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Child stars will often falter at some point, but don’t count Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi among them. Not only did she follow up an unblemished competitive figure skating career with ten years of Stars On Ice, she went on to marry professional hockey player Bret Hedican; Together, the couple have two children: Keara Kiyomi, 6, and Emma Yoshiko, 3 ½.

Although she accomplished so much so quickly, the 38-year-old former Dancing With the Stars champ harbors no regrets about the timing.

“I’m glad I had a really busy career early on before I had children so that now I can step back and focus more on parenting and spending time with them,” Kristi tells Babble. “My mom was a stay-at-home mom and was there for us all the time.”

“That’s what I would love to try to do with my kids. My greatest fear is not being there for them as much as they need us or not having that close relationship as they get older.”

It’s clear that Kristi’s parents have everything to do with the kind of parent she, herself, has turned out to be. Despite their busy schedules, the Yamaguchis made a point of having dinner together each night at six o’clock, and the practice gave Kristi and her siblings “a sense of stability.” It should come as no surprise, then, that Kristi and Bret try to keep a similar schedule with Keara and Emma.

“With my traveling, it’s not every day,” she concedes. “But if we’re all home we all eat together. It’s a good tradition. I think it helps you all stay connected.”

Click below to learn what aspect of parenting makes Kristi feel like “a fish out of water.”

As for what life lessons she hopes to impart during family mealtime, Kristi singles out one “simple” rule: Do unto others, as you would have done to you. “It’s such a fast world we live in now,” she notes.

“So much is expected of kids and they expect so much that it’s like, ‘You know, slow down. Listen to how you treat people and how they treat you.’ All I’m really hoping for is that my children turn out to be grounded, nice people. I want them to be as well-adjusted as possible and to have a good head on their shoulders.”

Like every parent, however, Kristi doesn’t always have the answers. “I feel like a fish out of water … when it comes to making the right decisions and hoping that you’re doing the right thing,” she admits. “At every stage, there’s something to be anxious about.” When she’s beginning to second-guess herself, Kristi says she tries to let history be her guide. “Past experiences can help you make the best possible choices,” she notes, “but I don’t think there’s any easy handbook for parenting.”

“I think it’s learning along the way and if you make the wrong decision, you learn from it. What else can you do?”

One decision Kristi and Bret have clearly given much thought to is when — or even whether — to get the girls formal ice skating instruction. While they’re both comfortable with the ice and skate for fun, neither Keara nor Emma are aware of their parents’ skating legacies.

“My husband and I want to give them the opportunity to try other things outside the rink first and see if they go in that direction,” Kristi says. “If it’s something that they choose on their own and have a passion for, I would definitely support it.”

“We don’t want to force them to do it or make them skate, but if they try it and say, ‘Hey, this is what I really want to do!’ What can we do? Our parents really supported us and let us pursue our dreams. We’re just hoping to find whatever it is that drives them and support them in that.”

Although the girls have no idea that Kristi and Bret are world-class athletes — “to them, we’re just parents,” she says — the demands of their careers can’t always be ignored. “You do have to juggle things around a little bit,” Kristi explains. “I try not to travel unless I really have to.”

When it absolutely can’t be avoided Kristi says that she only stays away for a night or two, and that the girls are always left with Bret or with their grandmothers. “We’re lucky that we have very supportive families,” Kristi adds.

Source: Babble

– Missy