Scoped: Freshman Parents
Student: Kirsi Anselmi-Stith
Parents: Liisa Anselmi and Clark Stith
Home state: Wyoming
Worst lie you’ve ever told to your kid:
Clark Stith: That would take a lot of reflection.
Liisa Anselmi: She’s kind of on to my lies now. She knows when I’m doing the pretend-sad face when I’m not really sad. She’s caught on to that game I guess.
CS: I’ve repressed all of those.
LA: We try to believe we’ve done an excellent job with parenting and that’s why she’s here!
Worst lie she’s ever told to you:
LA: She did try putting out the pregnancy test and pretending she was pregnant, but that didn’t really work out. (Laughter) I knew she wasn’t.
What’s your child’s best physical trait and which side did it come from?
LA: She has, I think, really pretty curly blonde hair, and the curly came from her father’s side when she turned 13. It went straight to curly! I like it; she doesn’t. I think it’s really pretty.
Where is your kid on a Saturday night?
LA: She is having fun with her roommates, usually. She’ll go to the movies. Last night she was at the Comedy Club, so I think she’s doing activities with her House mates.
Describe your child in three words:
CS: Energetic.
LA: Fun and fashionable.
State of your child’s dorm room:
LA: Clean today, dirty tomorrow. They cleaned it for us, right?
Most embarrassing childhood memory:
LA: She had to do a book report for her fourth grade class, so I told her to do commercials and I made her wear a hot dog hat on her head and sing “I wish I was an Oscar Mayer hot dog.” And she denied it to people! Someone came up to her in seventh grade and said, “Didn’t you do that video with that hot dog hat on your head?” and she said “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Any Parents’ Weekend surprises?
LA: I was surprised at the comedy show last night. It was…
CS: Better than expected!
LA: Great, funny. But, boy, they take no prisoners! They’re not afraid to go in the gutter.
Your desired concentration vs your child’s:
LA: She won’t say what she wants to do...maybe she’ll enter the Secret Service. Maybe she’ll be a spy! She’s taking weird classes like Arabic and Government classes, so…
The majority of your child’s spending money goes to:
CS: If we only knew!
LA: I think it’s mostly on food.
Why did your kid get into Harvard?
LA: She’s very organized; she does a lot of activities. She’s a true leader.
CS: She is a natural leader, isn’t she?
What words of advice are you going to give your kid before you leave?
LA: Don’t have too much fun! (Laughter) It seems like you’re having a good time.
In 15 minutes, your child is:
CS: In the shower!
LA: Hopefully in the Yard, but probably in the shower.
In 15 years, your child is:
LA: I think she’ll be working somewhere. Maybe in D.C., or a foreign country.
CS: Public service, I think, is what she wants to do.