PARENT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Aileen Fuchs
Building a New Life
INTERVIEW BY PJ FEINSTEIN
National Building Museum in Washington,
D.C. She describes the move as a reset for
the family. “We are saying yes to opportunity,
and we are practicing gratitude to be excited
about what we’re going to do,” she says.

In her professional life, Fuchs is looking
forward to welcoming back families to the
National Building Museum, which reopened
in May after being closed for 16 months for
renovations and then the pandemic.

“It’s that interior sense of scale that is
just unrivaled anywhere and brings out the
kid in everybody,” says Fuchs. She’s also
eager to restart the museum’s educational
programs — and to burst the misconception
that the museum’s exhibits mostly appeal to
architects. “We’re a museum about the built environment
— where you live, where you work and where you
play,” says Fuchs. “It couldn’t have more impact
in people’s daily lives.”
What are some things your
family loves to do together?
Hike, camp, walk. I would call them city kids,
but we do love getting into nature. We love to
travel and we love to eat. My husband and I are
super foodies. We met working in restaurants,
and I kind of fancy myself a mixologist, too.

The kids make mocktails, and they’re really
good eaters. It makes me really happy.

A ileen Fuchs has joined our Zoom
call from a sparse corner of her
home. She’s seated low to the
ground next to an open window
for natural light.

“We’re moving from New York to D.C., so
I’m in, like, boxes,” she says with a laugh.

Fuchs and her family — husband John and
twins Faith and Fletcher, who are almost 6
— are relocating to Bethesda for her new job
as president and executive director of the
3 Quicks Qs
Paper or digital calendar?
Paper. I’m also a slave to my Outlook, but I
love to actually write things down.

Last movie your family watched together?
“The Sandlot.” Everyone loved it, and I
hadn’t seen it in so long.

Coffee or tea?
Coffee. Always half and half, no sugar.

And always hot, even on a 97-degree day.

infinitely easier because I’m never in a position
where they’re like, “Mommy, mommy!” They
have their best friend with them all the time.

It’s really been lovely, especially during the
pandemic, too. I felt really fortunate they
were in it together.

How do you juggle motherhood
and your career?
I really try to be present in what I’m doing,
no matter what I’m doing, all the time. Even
if I’m not spending as many hours or getting
the quantity of time, I try to make all my
time with them be really quality. I try to
put the phone down and do something with
them — read or do a craft.

When it comes to work, I’ll set a timer on
What was the secret to getting
a meeting and put my phone down so I can
them to be good eaters?
Lack of options! You don’t want to try it? That’s be really present with whom I’m speaking.

what dinner is. I guess you’re going to be hungry! I think that’s how you get the most value out of
anything you do.

What has surprised you the
most about raising twins?
One of my friends said to me that my
parenting the twins was like I had my
second kid first.

I remember holding one and the one over
there was crying. And then the one who was
crying, whom I couldn’t get to, stopped crying.

I was like, “Oh, I don’t need to go to you every
second!” They self-soothed earlier, and I
understood that earlier.

It was infinitely harder, but now it’s almost
18 Washington FAMILY SEPTEMBER 2021
What do you like to do in
your free time?
I meditate every day. I try to either run or do
yoga, or I’ll do a 20-minute workout. I try to
stop, cook dinner and use a new recipe that I
like. I’ll have a glass of wine and read my Bon
Appetit. I try to have my own time, and when
I don’t do that, I feel like I’m not being good
to anybody. You have to invest in your own
mental health and your own spiritual self to
be a great leader or to be a great mother. n