Kelly Van Arsdale
Kelly Van Arsdale is the co-founder and CEO of Spinnaker Chocolate in Seattle. “We are bean-to-bar chocolate makers, which means we specialize in making chocolate starting from raw, unroasted cocoa beans and processing them all the way through to finished chocolate bars.”
Dad to: Theo, 19 months
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Favorite ways to spend family time in WA: Outdoors. We love hiking and going to the beach. We also love exploring all of the playgrounds in the Seattle area. If she could, my daughter would spend all day on the swings.
Your most rewarding fatherhood moment: There’s so many that I don’t think I can rank one as the most rewarding! Seeing my daughter take her first steps. Hearing her count to 10. Seeing her drop everything and come running to me when I get home every day. When she says “I love you, Papa” as I’m leaving for work. Like I said, there are so many!
Biggest challenge as a dad: Negotiating with a 19-month-old who is extremely strong-willed. She is very determined when she wants something. It’s pretty difficult to have to tell her no – even if it’s for a benign reason like, “We have to leave to get home for dinner.”
A mother who inspires you and why: This one is easy: my wife. She’s such an incredible mother and she shows me every day how to be an amazing parent. She’s patient, kind, caring, loving, funny, silly and more. I’m so lucky to have her, and I’m so excited for my daughter to have a strong (but goofy) role model as she grows up.
Best piece of advice for a new dad: It’s all part of the journey so take it all in. The good times, the frustrating times, the sad times. It’s all part of it. Just remember to step back and enjoy it all. When I’m having a tough time with my daughter I try – though I’m not perfect – to take a deep breath and enjoy it. These moments are how she learns some of the tough lessons in life and I’d rather be the type of father that works with her to get to the right conclusion, not against her.
Your biggest hope for your children: Safety, security, happiness. I hope my daughter has a happy, fulfilling life that’s full of laughter. She loves to dance and be silly, and I hope she always hangs onto that pure, childhood joy.
How are you celebrating Father’s Day? I’m definitely doing something with my own father. We usually like to go golfing, but we haven’t decided on whether we’d like to spend the day losing golf balls or spare ourselves the agony and go enjoy a Mariners game.
Love you Dad