“There’s a lot of presentation involved in being a House Master family, and giving a good image, and all that stuff,” Sebastian says.

But all the Christakis children and Benjamin say that their parents have successfully separated their private family lives from their obligations as Masters.

“Despite all of that, I respect my parents immensely because they really fostered a sense of home,” Benjamin says, “a sense of having a closed family unit living inside Mather that had its private moments as well as its public moments. It never felt like there were any significant intrusions on our privacy or anything like that. It was just an expansive family.”

HEADING TO HARVARD

Now a Harvard freshman, Benjamin moved from Mather to Matthews this August.

Benjamin says his transition to college life was very different than that of most freshmen. He already knew Harvard lingo, for example, and could navigate the Yard. But he adds that he had to struggle to separate his college life from his home life.

A Crimson arts editor and guitarist in a band, Benjamin says much of his desire to attend Harvard stemmed from his admiration of the Mather residents he knew as a child.

“A lot of people ask me: why would I want to stay here?” Benjamin says. “There’s no better place for me. There’s no place where I fit in more or where I feel as accepted or as free to grow and change, or where I can actually be one of these kids that I idolized for however many years.”

In contrast, Sebastian says he has not narrowed down his choice of college yet, although, as a junior, many months remain before now and the application deadline. Nonetheless, he certainly plans on applying to Harvard.

“I’m really looking forward to starting fresh,” Sebastian says. “I’m looking forward to applying, but I think it will be cool to scope out all of my options.”

HOUSE AS HOME

Despite the arguably unusual nature of House family life, the children of House Masters rave about the benefits of living within a House: learning about college life, soliciting advice from undergrads, and adapting to change as House residents come and go.

Above all, the children emphasize the value of House community.

“Mather House wasn’t just a house. It was a home,” Benjamin says. “There was no better place to grow up than Mather House.”

—Staff writer Danielle J. Kolin can be reached at dkolin@fas.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Naveen N. Srivatsa can be reached at srivatsa@fas.harvard.edu.