Robert Reich: The accounting of this parenting business
Meditative Story
WaitWhat
4.6 • 3.2K Ratings
🗓️ 17 June 2021
⏱️ 30 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
It's 1996, and Robert Reich has the job of a lifetime – one that's taking a steady toll on his family. In a story he’s never told before, Reich shares the pivotal moment when he turns his economist’s eye on his own life, and realizes: It's fallen out of balance. On a muddy cross-country field, watching his older son run through the rain, he realizes what he must do to fix things.
If this episode resonates with you, we’d love to hear from you. Please take a moment to share your reflections by rating and reviewing Meditative Story in your podcast player. It helps other listeners find their way to the show, and we’d be so grateful.
Each episode of Meditative Story combines the emotional pull of first-person storytelling with immersive music and gentle mindfulness prompts. Read the transcript for this story: meditativestory.com
Sign up for the Meditative Story newsletter: https://meditativestory.com/subscribe
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | From the very beginning, I've made a point of being there for everything. |
| 0:22.8 | Attending every play and game and birthday party, |
| 0:26.7 | determined not to let my children miss me the way I missed my dad. |
| 0:33.0 | But then, my old friend Bill is elected president of the United States, |
| 0:37.9 | and I'm on an airplane, flying home to spend just two days |
| 0:42.6 | with the young people I cherish most. |
| 0:46.1 | The plane tilts slightly, and we begin our descent into Logan. |
| 0:50.8 | The cabin lights flicker on. |
| 0:53.4 | Magazines are stuffed into bags, |
| 0:55.7 | and Boston comes into focus below. |
| 1:00.2 | In 20 minutes, we'll be on the ground, |
| 1:02.9 | and tomorrow morning I'll be doing what I never thought I'd be coming home to do. |
| 1:07.5 | Watch my older son run away. |
| 1:22.4 | Robert Reich is an economist, Professor at UC Berkeley, political commentator and the author of 18 books. |
| 1:29.3 | Presidents Ford, Carter, Clinton, and Obama all called on Reich to serve in their administrations. |
| 1:35.5 | You may remember his service as Secretary of Labor from 1993 to 1997, where he became best known for implementing the Family and Medical Leave Act, increasing minimum wage, and focusing |
| 1:41.3 | national attention on the need to help American workers to adapt to the new economy. |
| 1:47.0 | In today's meditative story, Robert shares a story he's never told publicly. |
| 1:52.1 | It's about competing senses of responsibility to have a lasting impact in the world. |
| 1:57.5 | It's about making our time in this world count. |
| 2:01.4 | In Robert's case, it's a choice between fathering two boys |
| 2:04.8 | and his term of service for President Bill Clinton. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from WaitWhat, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of WaitWhat and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.