I'm becoming a dad! (3 months to go...)
In 3 months I'll be taking on arguably the biggest, most rewarding job of my life - I'll be a dad.
As much as I can prepare for everything that's coming our way in the next little while, there is a lot of (positive) uncertainty that awaits.
Parenthood is similar to marketing and business in a lot of ways... of course, this is me just assuming!
You can consume countless amounts of books, videos, other related content to help you learn but you will never be ready or understand what works and what doesn't until you start doing the work and experiencing it for yourself.
With that in mind, it's important to double down on important values and lessons when making extremely important decisions.
Here are 5 of my own core values/lessons that I'll be doubling down on as a way of teaching my soon-to-be son and embracing a new type of leadership role:
- Treat everyone equally with respect (the golden rule).
- Nothing in life comes easy. You have to put in the work.
- Be true to yourself and never settle.
- Every person you meet will teach you something.
- Enjoy every moment in life and have fun.
I'd love to hear from everyone else, especially those that have already been in my shoes and are already parents.
What are some important values and lessons you have adopted/learned that you make special tribute to passing on to your kids?
Best but worst startup ever 😜
Takes endless rounds of financing, constant pivoting, unreasonable BoD, and no visible RoI until decades later for most cases...
But worth it nonetheless.
Congratulations and best of luck! You'll always get a ton of advice wanted or not. So I think it's always best to note that no one knows what they're doing haha
This is my favorite comment 🤣🙏
This!
hahahaha 👏🏻
that's the fucking truth!
the best startup ever though, for sure. one that you can't really ever quit.
Haha thanks @jahn_quid! Love the anology and comparison here! Makes me that much more excited yet nervous at the same time.
Congrats! It will be an amazing experience I can assure you: I have four and one is on his way :)
You will experience an emotion similar, but also very different to romantic love. The think the ancient Greek called it Storge . It will be amazing!
As far as I am concerned if you want to teach something to your kid then the best way is to live up to those standard, and that should be mostly enough.
However living up to our own standards is really hard, especially when the kids are testing the limits. But don't blame yourself if you make mistakes.
My lessons/values are (though I am not sure if I can pass them to my children):
Thank you, @rideg - I absolutely agree! The best way is always through leading by example.
Really like those 5 lessons/values, they all resonate with me and sink in quite well.
Parent to my first kid of 11 weeks. It's tough, but rewarding!
Love these two points, @JamesReilly - appreciate the insight here! I hope the little one is doing well and you are getting some decent sleep.
Nice short, read and I'm really happy for you! 🙌Love those values (respect is huge).
My kid recently turned three and one more is in the oven.
It's weird, but I've become more productive since turning a dad. You somehow learn to make most of the available hours and cut a lot of crap out of your daily routine. Maybe that just show that I was a big mess before. 😁 Who knows. 🤷♂️
Some lessons I want to pass over to my kids:
Be agile and good luck. 🙏🏻
Thank you @janisozolins! I appreciate the words and for sharing those lessons with me.
I can totally see that - already I've seen myself become much more productive and naturally start to prioritize things more efficiently.
I'm looking forward to it!
I think an important thing to show your kids is the old adage that 'you learn by the company you keep' or the way that you become the people you spend the most time with. So if you want to do something new or different, find people doing that and join them. However you've got to show (not tell) it when they're young, because by the time they're teens they won't (outwardly) listen to a word you say!
Such a very good point and lesson in life for pretty much everyone! Thanks for the input and solid point here!
It's a blessing! It ain't easy, but it ain't hard also :)
We had our second daughter last November 😬 It's rather hard to keep up with the side jobs, but we're not giving up! Neither should you two!
Congratulations! ❤️
Thank you very much! Definitely looking forward to it and being taught WAY more than I'll likely even be ready for.
I understood that my kid doesn't give a damn about those values that I talk about. But only notices those values that I embody.
It feels like parenting is more about improving oneself and showing an example, not the "leadership" or "stewardship" process.
Thanks for the solid advice there, @skatkov!
That is definitely something to always keep in mind when trying to "teach" lessons and pass them on.
Congratulations!
If you ever decide to have more than one kid, only have two.
Two is the correct number.
More than two means parents are outnumbered.
Also, if you have 2 kids, only 1 fight can occur at a time. If you have 3 kids, 3 fights can occur. The 3rd child increases the number of fights by 3x.
I think kids and conflict is a bell curve - at first it increases exponentially, but if you get enough of them it starts to calm down again (or you're too busy to notice. Either way). Unfortunately I have four which is probably near the top of the curve! Never a dull moment, anyway.
Two is the magic number!
Congrats! Our little one is almost 16 months old, which is hard to believe. Time goes so quickly. It's certainly one of the harder things I've done but by far the most rewarding.
I've been doing what I call extreme time blocking during this whole lockdown thing, and by that I mean, I get as much done while my little dude naps 😅You certainly find out how much time you wasted before.
Love it! Even as I start prepping most of the major things (baby room, putting the crib together, planning doctors visits, etc) it gives you a whole new appreciation for the time you're spending and effort your put forth in life.
Congratulations! While I don't have any values I want to pass down just yet, I believe it would be fine if I encouraged someone to do the right thing with intelligence, effort and compassion.
Thank you, @neu! Intelligence, effort and compassion are three big areas no doubt.
Congrats!
Thank you @SEOguy!
Congratulations first of all. This is exciting and nervous time to become a parent first time.
'Parenthood is similar to marketing and business in a lot of ways', it made me read all the post really.
If you are thinking it as business, it is a complete loss, you are going to spend 100s, 1000s on a kid and they will give you a kiss (will you accept that as ROI, I do).
I have 3 kids and there is one very hard lesson I have learned. They will do what you are doing. They don't care what you are saying. If you want them to care for others, you have to show them how to do it. They will say the words what are you going to say (so be ready to hear the echo).
It a relationship in which after yelling at your kid, you watch cute baby videos. It totally me.
Thank you, @fnosheen! I really appreciate the honest and fresh perspective here. Sounds like leading by example is a HUGE factor in parenthood, which is something I'm already prepping for in my approach and how I can be a better role model for my son.
I appreciate it!