PARENT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Jeffrey D. Katz
Celebrating ‘magic moments’ with family
INTERVIEW BY MICHAEL VYSKOCIL
big thing, a dot-com fin-tech to manage real
estate transactions, and my 13-year-old regales
me with the stories of tennis games gone awry
at Holton Arms.

I think the quality of the time we spend with
our kids is more important than the quantity of
time that we spend. I try to make each moment
meaningful, memorable and measurable.

I often have a hard time disassociating myself
from technology and the iPhone, but over
the years, I’ve learned that work emergencies
will still be there after dinner, and there’s
no way to replace a missed birthday party or
other experience.

I think disconnecting from the internet is a
great way to achieve balance and harmony in
the family. My greatest challenge isn’t turning
off my device but the kids’ devices and getting
them engaged in speaking and not texting.

They are only little for a short time, so I really
try to enjoy those magic moments when I can.

We recently enjoyed a daddy-daughter-dog
day consisting of a trip to the new dog park at
Park Potomac, followed by lunch at King Street
Oyster Bar and custard at Carmen’s. It was an
epic afternoon!
What’s the hardest part about
juggling parenthood and your
career? What’s something that
makes it easier to balance both?
The hardest part about raising four kids is
that there just aren’t enough hours in the
day. I am lucky to spend quality time with at
least one kid each morning as I drive one of
my daughters to school. Some days, I work
from home and get a bonus second drive
with a later arrival. I hear about all kinds
of goings-on while in the car. They run the
gamut from mixed sock days, wear your PJs
to school day, dress like a cowboy and cowgirl
and spirit days. Ironically, that’s the high
school experience!
My little one likes to read books to me each
day, and we take 15 minutes to catch up on the
efforts of Mo Willems and Gerald the Elephant
(her favorite). My son is working on his next
22 Washington FAMILY DECEMBER 2021
Holidays are always a special time for our
family, and we try to spend them together—
sleeping in, with a late breakfast or brunch
is a family favorite. We travel quite a bit for
our kids’ production schedules, and locally
for school activities, so having downtime is
a great time for our family. We like hiking
on the C&O Canal with our dogs—Cookie
Monster, a Newfoundland, and Tootsie, an
Australian shepherd.

How have you nurtured your
children’s interests in acting?
A favorite activity is watching movies in our
basement. Since the kids’ film and acting
career took off, we built them a little stage
and an in-home theater with lighted signs and
marquee where they can act out their favorite
film scenes or just lay back on the couch and
catch a film with their friends. n
LOIS COHODAS PHOTO/CHANTAL NASTIS-CN PHOTOGRAPHY
Y ou may have spotted one or more of Jeffrey D. Katz’s children in TV commercials,
shows or movies such as “Moonlight Suburbia,” “Who Killed Jane Doe?” the “Gypsy”
Netflix series and “The Ralph Friedman Series.” With professional mini-actors living in
his home, Katz has his hands full each day keeping up with his family’s busy schedule.

Katz is the founder and managing partner of JDKatz, P.C., an estate planning, elder law, tax
law, business law and litigation law firm in Bethesda. He and his wife, Heather, will celebrate
their 20th wedding anniversary in April 2022.

Washington FAMILY connected with Katz about how he maximizes the time spent with his
children Kyra (age 7), Lili (13), Carli (16) and Austin (17).

How do you celebrate the
holidays with your family?