Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Basic Stats
- Age: 34
- Profession: KSDK meteorologist and traffic anchor
- Family: twin boys, 6 years old
Life Motto: Lead with kindness.
Least Favorite Chore: Dishes! Cleaning. There’s milk still sitting on my table right now.
Musical Man: I play the drums. I’m good, even though I haven’t had a single drum lesson. And I can sing. I sang in a church choir, on a praise team, and at school growing up. My favorite music groups are 311 and Sublime.
A Positive Outlook: Yes, I’m always this cheerful. But I also get to do what I love and am trained to do each and every day. I do get grumpy when my kids don’t listen!
Biggest Parenting Challenge: Sibling rivalry. I continue to try to teach them to be kind, not take things from one another, and to be patient with each other. They are such good kids!
Hey, Dad’s on TV!: Every time they see me on TV when I’m home, they get really excited. They think it’s cool; so do their friends.
A Support System: Luckily I have a lot of support from my family. I chose to surround myself and the kids with them by living in St. Louis. I have my dad and stepmom [Slaughter’s mom died when he was 7], four brothers and a sister, lots of cousins, and 17 nieces and nephews. There’s always someone willing to step in and help. My family ties it all together for us.
Giving Back: I often speak at schools about weather as well as my life story. As an adoptive parent myself [Slaughter adopted his cousin’s identical twin boys when they were 14 months old], I’ve also gotten involved with Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition.
Happy Chaos: As a single dad, I often feel outnumbered. My boys have very different personalities. I try to stop and realize who they are during discussions and debates. It helps to just go with it. When I remember to chill, life is much happier.
