(CNN)– House Speaker Paul Ryan, who famously said he wouldn’t give up time with his family to take the top leadership post, is putting the spotlight on children Thursday and celebrating “Take your Daughters and Sons to Work Day” at the U.S. Capitol.
Ryan, who is a father of three, is inviting school-age children of Capitol Hill reporters to attend his weekly news conference in the Capitol, according to speaker’s office spokeswoman AshLee Strong.
The move follows a tradition that Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi started in 2007 after she became the first female speaker of the House. Pelosi repeatedly stressed she was a “mother of five” and invited children, including some of her grandchildren, to hold the gavel when she was sworn in. Pelosi is also hosting an event Thursday in the Capitol for children of the congressional press corps.
Press gallery rules prevent non-credentialed visitors from attending media events in the Capitol studio, but the speaker’s office worked with the galleries to allow children to attend.
“Ryan will stick around and say hi to the kids afterward,” Strong told CNN.
The Speaker’s wife Janna, and three children — Sam, Liza, and Charlie — reside in his hometown of Janesville, Wisconsin. While his children won’t be in Washington for this year’s event, the Speaker did recently bring them to the Capitol during a school break and allowed them to sit in on media interviews and a bill signing, so they’ve had their own experience learning what it’s like to preside over the House.
The-CNN-Wire ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.
