Mr. Arison now works 60-plus hours a week, which means Dr. Luo has been the primary caregiver. When the children arrived, he left his job with the World Health Organization as a diagnostic adviser and took six months off from work before returning part-time. “Sleep was always an issue,” he said of the parenting early years. He is now employed by Stanford in its QuestBridge program, which supports high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds. He continues to do the bulk of the children’s school drop-offs and scheduling.
Nightly dinners are attended by all, with Mr. Arison making a commitment to put down his phone from 5:30 p.m. until the children have gone to bed. (Then he’s typically up answering emails and working into the wee hours.)
Growing up in the Soviet Union, Mr. Arison said he was pushed hard academically, and though he credits the rigors of his education for paving a path to success, he hopes his children will be able to truly enjoy their childhoods. Dr. Luo, whose upbringing included a lot more free time, can imagine a future for the family that will likely include a move out of the Bay Area.
Both men hope their children grow up to contribute to making the world a better place.
“We want the kids to realize there are a lot of children that don’t have what they have,” Dr. Luo said, with Emilia seated on his lap. “Emilia understands there are people who sleep outside or in their cars,” he said, “and it makes her sad.”
It wouldn’t hurt, too, if they developed a passion for business like Mr. Arison, who recently self-published a children’s book, “Just Add Lemons,” that features AI illustrations with avatars of the children. The book tells of a brother and sister who started a lemonade stand. With guidance from Alexander Hamilton, Henry Ford and Muriel Siebert, the first woman to have a seat on the New York Stock Exchange, their venture becomes successful.
And if they don’t go into business? “I want lots of grandkids,” Mr. Arison said.
