Arnold Schwarzenegger recalled the “most painful” part of becoming governor of California in the early 2000s – and then missing time with his children.
“Definitely there [were] Victim,” Schwarzenegger, 76, said on the Monday, October 9, episode of the “On Purpose With Jay Shetty” podcast. “What do you think it’s like to run for governor and promise that to the people?” [they] will be my top priority? Now you win. Now you have to do the work. But now you come home and your kids are crying at the dinner table.”
Schwarzenegger, who was governor of the Golden State for two terms from 2003 to 2011, recalled the disappointment on his children’s faces when his political life came first.
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The Terminator star has daughters together Katherine And Christina and sons Patrick And Christopher Schwarzenegger with ex-wife Mary Shriver. (Schwarzenegger is also the father of a son Joseph Baenawhom he greeted with his and Shriver’s former housekeeper, Mildred “Patty” Baenain 1997, when he was still married.)
The former politician recalled during Monday’s podcast that his children were upset because he missed dance recitals, soccer practices and school dropouts during his term as governor.
Governor-elect Arnold Schwarzenegge, Maria Shriver and their four children at the State Capitol in Sacramento on November 17, 2003 Lucy Nicholson-Pool/Getty Images
“It’s devastating when the kids are crying and complaining and you say to yourself, ‘I promised people they would be my No. 1. But I also promised my family.’ When we had our first child, I promised my wife that they would be No. 1,” Arnold said. “There is a dilemma.”
Arnold admitted that he “had to make certain sacrifices when it came to spending time with my family” and Shriver, 67, “had to pick up the slack in their household.”
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“Sacrifices have been made that are sometimes painful. “When you see your children crying, it’s painful,” he admitted. “You know it’s your fault. You put yourself in the situation. They had a choice to run for governor or not.”
Arnold noted that he missed a lot while he was in Sacramento and his family lived in Los Angeles. However, he eventually changed his work schedule to make it easier for the children.
“I [initially] spent four days a week in Sacramento and three days a week in Los Angeles. I decided to spend another day in Los Angeles to go to a school concert or some kind of practice session [for the kids]“, he told the listeners. “It has not affected my public service. But it gave the kids a little more personal time.”
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The retired bodybuilder added that Shriver was “the powerhouse of the family” during his term as governor because she was there “80 percent of the time” while he did “20 percent” of the work.
Arnold acknowledged that he “couldn’t have done it” without “good partner” Shriver and became governor.
Although Schwarzenegger and Shriver worked together as a team during his tenure, they called it quits in May 2011 after his affair with 62-year-old Patty came to light. Their divorce was finalized in December 2021.
However, Arnold insisted that even his divorce from Shriver was made easier by teamwork. “My wife and I worked really well together, so the kids really didn’t feel any bumps in the road,” he explained. “We were very happy with the result. We are very, very proud of our children. You are extraordinary.”