This Father’s Day, Shark Tank‘s Robert Herjavec’s has hit a new parenting milestone. The businessman, who married Australian dancer and Dancing With the Stars alum Kym Johnson-Herjavec in 2016, is dad to 8-year-old twins Haven Mae and Hudson Robert.
In an interview with Upworthy, Herjavec shared that he recently hit a “pinnacle” in the dad department, thanks to a special Father’s Day card from his daughter Haven, who made him an early Father’s Day card that brought tears to his eyes.
“My daughter has a toy stuffed bunny she’s had since she was 2 months old. This bunny is everything in her life,” he tells Upworthy. “She wrote me a note, and it said: ‘I love you Daddy. I love you more than bunny.’ And I said to my wife, now that is real love. In her world, that is the greatest compliment she could give me. That she loves me more than bunny.”
Herjavec’s Father’s Day traditions with his twins
Father’s Day in the Herjavec household is low-key, focused on spending time together.
“My wife knows that I’m an absolute sucker for everything the kids create. My office is lined with little pictures they draw,” he says. “She makes them do a little card for me and write me a letter. My son hates writing. They wake me up and give me the cards, and then they try to make me breakfast. And I love it! And we just hang out.”
For Herjavec, his goal as a dad is to invest quality time with them—whether it’s going to a museum, the park, or snuggling with the family’s Belgian Malinois Trixie.
“My wife always says my style of parenting is constant chaos and activity. And I think she’s partly right. I just want to be engaged and do things we find fun and can connect with,” he adds.
However, he’s learned that it’s not always about doing things that matters.
“I used to over-plan. ‘At 9 o’clock we’re doing this, at 10:30 we’re going to go here. At noon…’ And as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized the magic is in the quiet moments where we might not necessarily be doing anything, but we’re doing it together,” he explains.
Herjavec’s Father’s Day traditions with his late dad
Growing up with his “hard-working” dad Vladimir Herjavec (who passed away in August 2024), Herjavec pined for more time spent with him.
“His job was to work and my mom’s job was to take care of me. It was always hard to find time with him and connect on things that we could do together,” he says. “He gave up everything for me. He came to Canada when he was 37 years old on a boat with my mom and me, and didn’t speak a word of English. We had no money. We lived in someone’s basement for 18 months. He sacrificed everything to give me an opportunity in life.”
Despite not sharing much time to connect together growing up, the two found time later in life to do so—especially on Father’s Day.
“I tried to show up every Father’s Day. What I learned with him is that you didn’t need to do stuff. He just appreciated me being there,” he shared. “And especially as he got older and my mom passed, we would just hang. I’d have a scotch with him and let him smoke—he unfortunately smoked like a chimney. And we just hung out. I learned later on that that was really special to him, the fact that I showed up. I don’t think I missed an in-person Father’s Day.”
Herjavec adds that his dad really liked cars, and he would drive a new one over for his dad to inspect every Father’s Day. But rather than take it for a spin, they’d find themselves just sitting at the kitchen table talking instead. And it’s the same mentality he brings into spending time with his young twins on Father’s Day today.
Why Father’s Day is bittersweet
For Herjavec and many people, Father’s Day is also a day that is tinged with saddness.
“For me it is a bittersweet moment because I really miss my dad,” he says. “And I think as you get older and your parents aren’t around, you always think ‘What more could I have done? And what more could I have said?’ And I just try to think in the remembrance of my dad…if we remember the people we love in our heart, they’re never really gone.”
On Father’s Day, he tries to spend time remembering the good things about their relationship—and hopes others experiencing saddness can do the same.
“I just try to take a moment and reflect on the things he did for me and the goodness. Parents are complicated, our relationship with our parents is complicated,” he adds. “But I think it’s a moment to celebrate and think of the good, because there’s no point in thinking what could have been or what you could’ve changed.”
