Christopher Meloni has the best advice for parents who have kids entering young adulthood.
“Give my wife all the credit, but I’m an engaged individual with them,” Meloni, 63, told Us Weekly exclusively while attending the 2024 DGA Honors at the Director’s Guild Theater in New York City on October 17. “You give them just enough space to make their own mistakes and keep moving forward.”
The Law and Order: Organized Crime star said that both of his children are “finding their way” in the world.
“Now they’re in their 20s, and the youngest, who’s 20, I think he’s figured it out a little bit,” the actor told Us. “They’re on the right path and doing a great job.”
Meloni and wife Doris Sherman Williams, whom he has been married to since 1995, are parents to 23-year-old daughter Sophia Eva Pietra Meloni and 20-year-old son Dante Amadeo Meloni.
Meloni has spoken at length about his kids over the years, even admitting that they would call him “crazy” during a 2014 interview.
“I’m very physical, very affectionate. I’m also very disciplined and focused on education. That’s one thing that was instilled in me, one place in life where there’s no compromise,” he told USA Today at the time. “I want them to engage in athletics or the arts because those are places they get to express themselves.”
The actor also noted that “empowering” his kids was a big part of their upbringing.
“I remember not having any power when I was growing up,” he added. “Power helps kids mature, and it requires critical thinking on their part. They feel engaged in a decision, which makes them feel engaged in the family process.”
Meloni and Williams, 64, officially became empty nesters last year when dropping Dante off at college.
“You take the steps necessary, and everything is great, and then you get home and it feels like you hear the wind whistling through the hallways,” he joked on Today in September 2023. “Tumbleweeds. There’s an emptiness. It’s tough, I’m dealing with it right now. It’s a real thing.”
The actor did, however, say that it’s allowed him to connect with his wife.
“Honestly, every night has a potential to be date night,” he said. “You get a little closer, and you walk a little closer and slower.”
Reporting by Antonio Ferme
