Last night I was awakened by the sound of my son crying. He was sick to his stomach, and he would spend the next few hours retching.
It also meant that one parent would have to stay home to keep an eye on him throughout the day. One of us has a steady job that brings in income and health insurance, while one of us doesn't have a fixed office address and works weird hours on two ventures that have yet to bring in a penny of revenue.
Guess who stays home?
Meanwhile, the educational product startup is on hiatus because my partner's wife just had a baby (their second). When do you think we'll be meeting next to move product development along?
I bring up these examples not to criticize my wife and my partner, but to recognize the reality of juggling a business and family responsibilities: No matter how hard you want to charge forward on your venture, you can only go so far in terms of sacrificing your family's well-being.
Where I draw the line often depends on the availability of childcare. My kids rarely see me at night on weekdays, because I am off at meetings or working on the software startup. But they can manage my absence, as my wife is back from work at 5:30 and can watch them. During the day, they are at school or daycare, which allows both me and my wife to work. But when one child is unable to attend school because of illness, or there's a new baby on the scene, that's when the ventures have to take a backseat to family realities.
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