“At the end of the day people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou
Being an entrepreneur’s kid isn’t easy! Entrepreneurship is tough, and raising kids is hard – doing both at the same time is a big challenge. That’s why we brought mental health experts to the table to discuss how to manage the challenges of parenting and entrepreneurship.
Here are 5 key takeaways, and you can scroll to the bottom to watch the whole session!
1. Carefully consider the two R’s: Regret and Resentment
- Ask yourself what you might regret in the future in terms of your time and relationship with your kids. In other words, take FOMO seriously when it comes to your children. If you’re not sure what kind of experiences you’d regret if you missed, think about your own childhood. What did you love? What do you wish your parents had done differently?
- Put yourself in your child’s shoes, and ask what about your behavior they might resent when they’re grown up. Then take a proactive approach to preventing that resentment. How do you know what they might resent not getting from you? Think about what they repeatedly ask you for – and more importantly – what they’ve given up asking you for.
2. Fit your work schedule around your kids
Not the other way around. It is all too easy to bend to the apparent urgency of work, and think you’ll fit the kids in around that. But it just doesn’t work out in reality. There are always more to-dos. If you wait to spend time with the kids when your task list is at zero, they will be grown and gone before you get to them!
3. Set goals for your family relationships.
Especially for entrepreneurial-minded people, setting goals and milestones to hit with relationships can be easier to get your head around than a vague “be a good parent.” For example, your goals might look like a daily goal of making sure your kid hears that you enjoy them, a weekly goal of sharing a waffle breakfast on Saturdays, and on to monthly, quarterly, and so on.
4. Create an atmosphere of play
Play and laughter is essential for everyone, regardless of age. Kids are sponges, and they will absorb whatever energy you bring into the room. For both kids and adults, play creates a sense of connection that prevents or mitigates all kinds of mental health issues.
5. Regularly ask your kids how they’re doing.
A couple of tips: ask open-ended questions (not yes or no questions), and practice the art of the follow-up question!
Ultimately, healthy businesses need healthy families and vice versa. Watch the whole session below for more context and more tips on managing family life and work life.
