Mom Club with Christina Liviakis Gianopulos
Christina Liviakis Gianopulous with her sons Nicholas (13) and Anthony (7). (Photo courtesy of Christina Liviakis Gianopulous)
If you’re lucky enough to land in North Fork mom, Christina Liviakis Gianopulous’ orbit you’ll notice, almost immediately, a few things: a striking strength perfectly balanced with a genuine softness, a serious and graceful demeanor but with a side of wit and ease, and an overwhelming and magnetic sense of warmth. Whether you know her well, or barely know her at all, Christina never fails to make you feel welcome. Perhaps she’s developed these character traits from being a mother to two sons, Nicholas (13) and Anthony (7), or maybe they’re because of her powerhouse career in the shipping industry, or from her endeavors in women’s empowerment. No matter the root, the North Fork community is better because of what Christina brings to it.
Join us as Christina shares mothering on the North Fork in our monthly Mom Club, a Q&A with local North Fork moms.
We hope this series inspires you and helps to make motherhood less intimidating and more inclusive. And the best part is, there’s no dress code or any other code, for that matter. All are welcome to join Mom Club just as you are.
Q: Describe your parenting style in three words.
Christina: Joyful, agile, messy
Q: What is your favorite thing about motherhood?
Christina: It is just an awe-inspiring journey at every turn. I love that because our children are constantly growing and evolving there is always a new iteration of what motherhood looks and feels like.
Q: What is your least favorite thing about motherhood?
Christina: It is way too easy to put yourself last.
Q: What would you change anything about motherhood?
Christina: I am grateful for my family and community, but as a society mothers do not get the support they need — whether it is postpartum support, childcare challenges, or the “sandwich generation” caring for aging parents and young children at the same time. We need some societal and institutional guardrails to help families.
Q: Assuming you do, why do you think raising kids on the North Fork is unique?
Christina: We love raising our kids here. To get to have such a beautiful community with amazing art food, and nature really makes us grateful. I also love that our life on the North Fork also has similarities with the summers that I spent with my family in Greece.
Q: What role does nature play in raising your kids?
Christina: I am a big believer is the idea that anything can be fixed with salt water: tears, sweat, or the sea. So if any of us are having a bad day or needs a perspective shift we get outside and run around or go for a dip. We also love that living here we are more naturally in tune with the rhythms of nature whether it is the changing time of the sunset or that natural progression from strawberries to peaches to tomatoes or pumpkins. It grounds us and keeps us connected to something bigger.
Q: What's your favorite recent thing that you've done with your kids on the North Fork?
Christina: We recently had an unexpectedly fun night in Greenport. We had to go to the Farmer’s Market to get some veggies and ended up buying books at Burton’s, eating oysters, riding the carousel, and enjoying ice cream while listening to an outdoor horn concert while the sun set. We were just running an errand and it ended up being a magical evening.
Q: What's your kids' favorite thing you've recently done together on the North Fork?
Christina: As a family, we love spending time on the water so boating adventures are always fun. We love getting a picnic and watching the Wednesday night sailboat races in New Suffolk or sailing over to the South Fork to Donkey Dunes and running up and down the giant hill.
Q: What is one thing every kid should experience on the North Fork?
Christina: There are tons of fun things like Splish Splash or Waterdrinker, but when I think of the North Fork experiences that are really special it is the simpler adventures. Climbing the boulders and the logs across the beach at Horton’s Point Lighthouse is so fun — it’s like nature’s parkour course. And a sunset swim at McCabe’s beach when the bagpiper and the ice cream truck are there is peak North Fork kid magic.
Q: It’s said that motherhood lasts long after we're gone — that it's the values that live within our kids for their whole lives, too. What are some things that you hope your kids carry with you forever?
Christina:
1) Squeeze the joy and love out of every season of life. No matter how hard life may seem look for the little pockets of good.
2) Remember where you came from and the people who came before you. Continue to build on the strength and sacrifices they made for those who will come after you.
3) TAKE THE DAMN SWIM! No matter how cold it is, no matter how busy you are, get in the water — you will never be sorry.
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