OCCUPATION: President and CEO of Louisiana Automobile Dealers Association
WIFE: Kristin Green
CHILDREN: Tatum, 8; Miller, 5
HOBBIES: golfing, hunting, fishing

Will Green understands how important it is to be involved in the lives of his two young children, especially with his busy work life. With the support of his wife, family, and faith, Will has been making the most out of fatherhood. He has been intentional with the time he spends with his children, which may explain why his daughter, Tatum, shares his penchant for debating. One of the most important things about parenting that he has learned, however, is to not sweat about being the perfect parent. After all, if you focus too hard on being perfect, you just might miss out on the perfect moments with your children.

What does a normal day look like for you?
WILL: Well, I wake up, get the kids up, and get them dressed and fed for the day. Then it’s off to school and work.

What are some of the joys and challenges of raising your children?
WILL: One joy would be witnessing each milestone they reach as they mature and become independent. Their personalities start to change and develop more. They’re both like my wife and I in different ways, and it’s a lot of fun to see yourself in your kid, though it’s also really scary in some ways.
My wife and I both work and travel a lot, so we’ve had to learn early on how to make the best of our schedules. We have to divide and conquer a lot. My wife is pretty amazing, and with her help, everything usually falls into place.

What are your best qualities as a father?
WILL: I think I’m fun but firm. One minute I can be the disciplinarian, and the next I can shift when I need to be a goofy, fun dad. I think you need to balance both of those things, so hopefully I’ve learned that balance.

What do you like to do as a family?
WILL: We love to go out to eat, and we love to swim, travel, and go on bike rides. Anything we can do together as a family is special especially as the kids grow up.

What’s your favorite thing about being a dad?
WILL: One of the interesting things is being a dad really puts things in a different perspective. The things you thought were important really aren’t that important anymore. I’m spending time with my family, which is really what I cherish now. The worldly stuff before I had kids used to be more important, but now I watch my kids play with their cousins, friends, and family, and I get more joy out of that than anything.

What has parenthood taught you?
WILL: I think being a dad can be very ironic; you spend so much time stressing over everything being perfect only to realize your kids love you unconditionally. I think, why am I stressing so much? I just need to be patient, relax, and enjoy the amazing ride.

What are some things you hope to teach your children?
WILL: I want them to be kind, be confident, and have a good faith life. I hope they grow up to trust in the Lord and walk a good path with Him.

What has your job taught you about parenting?
WILL: Because my wife and I work and travel a lot by nature, and because my job requires me to work late, I’ve learned to really cherish my time with my kids. You only have so much time with them and so many important milestones, so when I’m with my kids, I really try to be focused on them and what they’re doing and to be mentally and physically present when I’m with them. I try to be very intentional in everything that I do when I’m with them. One of the things other parents tell me is that it goes by fast, and I don’t want to look back and regret having missed my kids growing up. I’m incredibly blessed to do what I do, but at the same time, I don’t want to look back and say, “gosh, I wish I would have been there more.”

How do you tackle any challenges?
WILL: Lots of prayer and patience. We also have role models around us that show us how to do it the right way. My parents taught me a lot, and my wife’s family has been a great influence on us. I don’t think we’re perfect parents, but we’ve been blessed to have some really good people in our lives that raised us, so, fortunately, we can look to them. We have really good kids, too, though that does not mean we don’t have challenges just like everyone else.

How do you make time to relax?
WILL: I’m very fortunate that a lot of my hobbies my kids love to do as well. We love to play golf, go swimming, and get out and exercise, so I do a lot of those things with my kids. I love to get away with a good book, too.

What personality trait of yours do your children also have?
WILL: My kids are pretty outgoing and funny, but they’re also not afraid to challenge me, especially my daughter. I think she would make a pretty good attorney. I’m an attorney, and I’ve practiced law for years. She loves to debate, so don’t say anything around her because she’s going to remember it.

Any advice for other parents?
WILL: Don’t stress too much! If you have an amazing spouse, good faith, and a supportive family, everything will fall into place. Make sure you strike the right balance of love and discipline, too. ■

Q&A
Before I go out, I always check to make sure I have…my phone and wallet.
In my fridge, you will always find…milk.
My favorite dessert is…ice cream.
My favorite food is…chips and salsa.
My guilty pleasure is…Netflix.
The first thing I do when I wake up is…hit the snooze button.
My dream travel spot is…Hawaii.