The way Chris Weldy tells it, focusing on his kids is a great way to reduce the pressure associated with a challenging day at work. Chris has concentrated on logistics at Prime for the past 13-14 years. His day involves brokering freight to outside carriers. He likes the challenge of an “interesting profession with lots of variables” including both high and low moments. Even so, sometimes the work can be stressful. He finds being a good dad (and a good husband) as a great stress reliever.
Chris has been married to his wife, Gina, for 18 years. The couple has two children, Ava, 13 and Aiden, 11. The kids do their part to keep their dad distracted from work activity when he’s at home with them. Gina recently moved from gymnastics to competitive cheer, an activity that keeps the family on the road to weekend meets. Aiden is involved in year-round baseball.
Chris says that when he gets home he does his best to focus on his kids and their lives, their day and their stress. From his perspective, it’s a refreshing distraction to deal with the worries of an 11-year-old after a day at work. “To hear an 11-year-old’s impression of what’s stressful is great and makes me completely forget about what I have going on.”
Focusing on his kids includes Chris doing 6th and 8th-grade homework with his son and daughter. He admits to sometimes having the thought, “I used to be able to do this;” and acknowledges a lot has changed since he was the age of his children.
Chris believes having a strong relationship with one’s spouse is essential to having a happy, peaceful home. He also encourages staying in touch with family members and taking the time to practice good communication.
In terms of what he would suggest to other dads, Chris offers four suggestions:
1. Focus on your children and wife by giving them your time and attention. Be interested in their day.
2. Ask about what is going on with them and listen to what they say.
3. Be a student of your children’s needs. What are their interests? What do they need from you? How can you help?
4. Be active with your kids, including working out with them.Play games with your kids. Find fun activities to do together.
Chris knows that happy dads, that is, those who are engaged with their kids and family—make better employees. They are happier and work harder for the people they love at home. At the end of the day, they know they have the reward and encouragement of investing in relationships with their families and that makes life a lot less stressful.