What I took from this essay is the revelation that many people see having a baby as a fresh start. I had no idea! I’ve never had kids myself. I always thought you prepared for a baby by battening down the hatches “Okay everyone! This is what we trained for! No sudden moves or crazy ideas for the next 5 years.”
But I am often surprised by the dynamic I see in podcast guests for a show I produce. It’s almost like clockwork. Wife gets pregnant and husband suddenly decides to take out a large loan and buy a business. I’m not saying it’s a bad idea but the timing baffles me. That’s a big risk and a lot of added stress on top of a new baby.
But after reading your essay I think I understand better. If someone sees a new baby as a fresh start, a clean slate, then logically it seems like the best time to start something new. New baby, new job, new schedule, new routine, why not just change everything at once since it’s already changing.
Thanks for this thoughtful comment Pam! Having kids has definitely served as a fresh start for me although my ability to adopt meaningful behavior change has been average (at best). It's interesting that your guests choose to start a business after having a child (so much risk and stress, as you point out!) but, then again, I decided to start all my major projects (like this Substack) after having kids, so I guess it's just one way to supercharge some of these difficult decisions? Who knows, but thank you for sharing 😊
What I took from this essay is the revelation that many people see having a baby as a fresh start. I had no idea! I’ve never had kids myself. I always thought you prepared for a baby by battening down the hatches “Okay everyone! This is what we trained for! No sudden moves or crazy ideas for the next 5 years.”
But I am often surprised by the dynamic I see in podcast guests for a show I produce. It’s almost like clockwork. Wife gets pregnant and husband suddenly decides to take out a large loan and buy a business. I’m not saying it’s a bad idea but the timing baffles me. That’s a big risk and a lot of added stress on top of a new baby.
But after reading your essay I think I understand better. If someone sees a new baby as a fresh start, a clean slate, then logically it seems like the best time to start something new. New baby, new job, new schedule, new routine, why not just change everything at once since it’s already changing.
Thanks for this thoughtful comment Pam! Having kids has definitely served as a fresh start for me although my ability to adopt meaningful behavior change has been average (at best). It's interesting that your guests choose to start a business after having a child (so much risk and stress, as you point out!) but, then again, I decided to start all my major projects (like this Substack) after having kids, so I guess it's just one way to supercharge some of these difficult decisions? Who knows, but thank you for sharing 😊