License to Parent: Back to School with Christina and Ryan Hillsberg

It takes a very particular set of skills to parent. And very few parents would say they have them all! But what if you could draw on hard-earned experience and strategies from one of the world’s most clandestine organizations to raise your kids? That’s exactly what Christina Hillsberg has done.

Christina never dreamed that a college Swahili course would lead her to a career in the CIA or that she’d meet her husband Ryan Hillsberg, a fellow spy and field operative, during her time there. After she met his three children, she was struck by the way he used his CIA training and field experience in his day-to-day child-rearing. As a stepmom and then later when she and Ryan had two more kids, Christina got on board with his unique parenting style and added to it with her own experience as a CIA analyst. Christina—with some help from Ryan—has just written License to Parent: How My Career as a Spy Helped Me Raise Resourceful, Self-Sufficient Kids.

This evening, the Spy Museum’s Family & Youth Programs Manager Jessica Harvey and Director of Adult Education Amanda Ohlke will chat with Christina and Ryan about tips to prepare kids for tricky situations, how to teach kids to verify sources, and when it’s okay to persuade them to select the cheesecake you secretly crave. With Back to School finally happening, we thought this would be the right time to learn more about how to influence our top assets—our own kids!

Tonight’s bartender from Board Room will be shaking up a drink fit for parents who see the light at the end of the virtual school tunnel! (Recipe below)

Vesper Cocktail

3 oz. of Hayman's London Dry Gin
(Substitute any good quality gin you have: Tanqueray, Sapphire, Hendricks, Bluecoat, etc.)
1 oz. of Wodka
(Polish Vodka - You can substitute a good rye vodka like Chopin, Sobieski or Belvedere)
1 teaspoon Apertivo Americano Cocchi
(If you cannot find this brand you can substitute with Lillet Blanc)
NOTE: You will also need a cocktail shaker, strainer, lemon, ice, and martini glass! Cheers!

You’re welcome to ask questions after the talk – whether they relate to parenting or spying! Enjoy!