Preparing my kids for Baby #3
I knew starting KidAdmit was like having another child. Startups are like children:
1) they need constant attention and nurturing
2) they keep you up in the middle of the night
3) there is no manual given when you incorporate
4) everyone has an opinion on what your are doing wrong
5) everyone will give you unsolicited advice
6) you are constantly trying to get people to listen to you
7) you are constantly spending money with no return
8) you are meeting with other founders so you don’t feel alone
9) you hang out at coffee shops so you feel part of the real world
10) when in doubt, you call your “mom”, I mean “advisor”
Recently, I had to take a call for work in the morning. My husband was out of town so I got the boys ready for the day when our nanny arrived. I kissed the boys, said goodbye and then hopped on the call. Within 5 minutes, I heard my 4 year old crying, “I want mommy! KidAdmit NO NO!” Wow, what is going on, I thought?
When he returned from preschool, I asked him why he was upset this morning and he explained that I was on the phone for a long time. He also told me KidAdmit makes me go on meetings so I don’t tuck him in at night. This was Mommy Guilt at it’s finest! I understand he misses me some evenings but my husband is there and we always try to coordinate so that one of us is home for dinner, bath and bedtime.
But then it hit me! I realized we didn't prepare him for KidAdmit like we did when his little brother was born. We spent months preparing him about the baby and how much we would still love him. We gave him a gift from the baby, had him help us with little tasks and be part of the baby's day to day activities. This was not the case with KidAdmit.
So I reassured him that I love him very much and that KidAdmit is an important part of all our lives. I also explained that just like he enjoys going to preschool and doing all sorts of different things, I do the same with KidAdmit. I think he got it so I gave him a KidAdmit T-shirt, snack bottle and named him CSO (Chief Snacking Officer). He was so excited and ran around saying, “KidAdmit, Yea! Yea!” It looks like gifts from the sibling still works.