NEWSRob Lowe’s Studious Sons Shun Showbiz
Sept. 2 2011, Published 12:09 p.m. ET
Rob Lowe’s teenaged sons aren’t interested in following their old man into an acting career.
In fact, Edward, 17, and John, 16, got a head start this summer with seriously studious internships.
“My oldest served on Capitol Hill during the budget crisis, and my youngest son volunteered and was the youngest intern ever at the University of California San Francisco’s Stem Cell Research facility,” the proud dad, 47, who recently celebrated his 20th wedding anniversary with wife Sheryl, tells me during the Valspar Hands For Habitat event in NYC.
He continues, “My oldest is very interested in and is in all advanced, AP, political science, and history - it’s a very rigorous, academic school, as is my youngest, and my youngest is in advanced physics – things like that. It was in their interest, and they applied and got accepted. It was exciting for us as parents to see them step into those worlds that are so challenging.”
Even though the Parks and Recreation star hasn’t always been so innocent, he strives to be a good role model.
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“Kids learn by example,” he says. “They’ve seen me work for cancer patients, advocacy, and for adults and adolescents recovering from drug and alcohol abuse, and some of the charities that I have a personal interest in. Every summer, they volunteer somewhere. You have to make it a family priority. We try to do that.”
What goes around comes around: The kind-hearted Emmy winner got involved with Habitat For Humanity when his stepfather built houses for the charity in the 1970s.
“When Valspar and Habitat asked me to donate my handprints to help this Haitian effort, which will build homes for 250,000 Haitian families, I thought ‘now it’s my time to join the Habitat cause.’”
For more on Rob Lowe, pick up the OK! on newsstands now. The cover line is Jennifer Aniston/Kim Kardashian: “New Homes For New Babies!”
