The Business of Parenting
The Business of Parenting.
If you’re a seasoned Entrepreneur, you already know that your mind is wired differently. You take a longer time to make decisions, you weigh every pro and con, think about every value adding or subtracting potential. You analyze more, you ask more questions, identify all variables and diligently observe the progress of your decision.
If you’re a later-in-life mom like me, sometimes, your parenting skills and leadership/entrepreneurial skills blend to create a very calculating, very involved, very observant parent: the basic ingredients necessary for your kids to feel smothered at some point in their life.
I had my first child at 29, so I was already into the entrepreneur world for seven years. I applied to my first daughter the diligence that I applied to any new product or service that I was launching. I read all the books, discussed in length with other mothers their methods and practices, watched all the product testing videos and developed my own methods for welcoming a new born into my life. Yes, R&D!
At two years old, I decided (and then convinced my husband) that it was time for my daughter to attend play school. Everyone — grandparents, aunts, uncles — was furious! They all cried that she was too young! That she already knew so much!
I had her on a basic learning trend, purchasing books with colours, shapes, numbers, textures etc. I managed what she viewed on television and ‘tablet’ and how much time she spent doing that, read to her every night,and had her grandmothers reinforce these practices when I was not home. But I was so afraid that I would miss something that the education system would accommodate. These were my arguments:
1. She needs to Socialize — we had no other young children around and I felt she wasn’t getting enough active play time.
2. Again, there may be something I was missing in my attempt to home school.
3. She needed to develop character by being introduced to new challenges — no more grandma feeding her breakfast, lunch and dinner.
And how did I choose a play school? I applied my rigorous R&D skills, calculated distance and time spent shuttling her to and fro, asked lengthy questions, surveyed the environment for any possible threat and ensured that I could reach the teacher at any time to discuss any concerns.
It was the right decision. The first thing brought to our attention, was that, even though she knew everything possible at this stage, she was not speaking in sentences. We could understand her grunts, words and moods, but she was not expressing herself in fluid and complete thoughts. I gave myself a generous tap on the back and shot my husband the “I told you so” look! Within weeks we were able to work with her on correcting this and now at 2 years 9 months, we have a very chatty chatterbox.
The thing is, in business and in parenting, you need to trust your gut instincts. You need to be so involved in the mechanics of how things are done, know what direction you want growth to take and not be afraid to venture outside your own realm of knowledge to get results. You need to daily upgrade your understanding of methods and what is new to your market or industry to remain viable and not fall behind. If we do not expand our thinking and seek out those that can advise, analyze and see our ventures with fresh perspective, then we limit ourselves. In other words, we won’t see past the end of our respective noses!
Equally as important, you need a strong human support system that has clear direction and a unified vision.
My father used to say his children are his investment, and that (along with many little nuggets of wisdom) has been been engraved in my heart and mind. Not just a monetary investment, an investment of our time, our emotions, our life, our very being.
Many entrepreneurs refer to their business as their “baby” … no I will not refer to my babies as my “businesses”… but the same passion and drive to succeed as an entrepreneur drives me to be an exemplary parent. One that will leave a legacy that my girls can be proud to inherit.