Happy Monday,

I hope everyone had a great weekend and is gearing up for Thanksgiving! Like many other millennials, my wife and I do not live near our families. It’s sad to not be spending the holidays in Philadelphia or Grand Rapids, Michigan, but the time away also allows us to start thinking about building our own family traditions. I can’t say we’ve got any that will stick quite yet other than cooking a meal on Thanksgiving, but we’re working on it! Our anniversary is also the day after Christmas so lots to celebrate over here before the end of 2023.

I’m curious, what are the traditions that you’ve adapted from your family and will continue forever vs. what are some of those that you’ve started on your own? Reply to the email and let me know!

Love Parenthood? Be sure to share it with your family, friends, and social network and encourage them to join our community!

One Big Idea

Does It Ever Get Easier in Parenting and Entrepreneurship?

As I have been learning this year, parenting, much like entrepreneurship, is often accompanied by the well-meaning but misleading assurance that "it gets easier." This phrase, typically tied to reaching certain milestones—whether it’s your kid finally sleeping through the night or your start-up securing its first major round of funding—implies a magical turning point beyond which challenges simply go away. However, as many parents and entrepreneurs, like me who juggles both roles, have discovered, this is a myth. My journey through parenting our nearly one year old (!!) daughter and growing Parenthood, reveals a different truth. Every achieved milestone, while a cause for celebration, often introduces new challenges. In parenting, just as we celebrated our daughter crawling for the first time, we were soon navigating the new challenges of childproofing our home and managing her newfound mobility. Each developmental milestone, while amazing, brings its own set of tasks and concerns.

The parallel between parenting and entrepreneurship highlights a crucial lesson: the journey never truly gets 'easier'; it evolves. The idea that things will suddenly become easier with time is a comforting but unrealistic expectation. Instead, what I have worked on over the past few months is embracing the ongoing journey, with all its ups and downs, and feeling gratitude for all of the support around me. I hope this insight is relevant for parents and entrepreneurs, who may be seeking solace in the thought of an easier future. Understanding and accepting that each stage brings its own unique challenges and joys can prepare you for a more realistic and rewarding journey ahead.

Trending Stories & Insights

• Take action: As the flu season intensifies in the U.S., particularly in the Southeast, health officials are urging the public to get flu vaccinations before Thanksgiving, amidst concerns over a shortage of Beyfortus, a new drug for preventing severe RSV in high-risk infants

• It’s the simple things: In a new video, this woman shares how her simple gift changed her mom’s life

• This Reddit thread asked “what immediately tells you someone is a trashy parent?” As you’d expect, there are a slew of comments. One other observation is that there are quite a few folks in the thread simply making sure they’re not doing any of these things

Tip of the Day

• Recipe for success: An expert interviewed the parents of 70 highly successful adults and found a common theme: “they’re listening to their child. And, they’re taking what their child says seriously, as opposed to saying, ‘I’m the parent, I know best.”

Here’s a dad joke

What do you call a bear with no teeth?

Scroll to the bottom of the newsletter for the answer!

Time(out) for Memes