Your Children Do Not Resent Your Ambition. They Want to Be Part of It.

Parents forget that children also want to share the journey.

I think we have created a false separation between parenting and career. We treat them as silos. As if working hard and being a good parent are opposite ends of a scale. They are not.

I Watched My Dad Build a Career. I Was Proud of Him.

My dad was building a successful legal career. The limited time I spent with him, I wanted to go on that journey with him. I wanted to see how he was doing it, what he was up to.

I knew it was hard work. I saw him waking up very early in the morning. I did not begrudge him working hard. I honoured it. I enjoyed the fact that my parents were striving and doing something for themselves.

That might surprise people. But it is the truth.

Independence Was a Gift, Not a Sacrifice

My brother and I were very independent from a young age. We kind of enjoyed that because it gave us a level of freedom that some of my peers did not have.

It made us more proud of our parents. Not less.

We were not neglected. We were trusted. There is a big difference.

The Modern Parenting Trap

In the modern day, we see work and family as isolated things. We cannot really praise our parents for working hard anymore. Self-independence is something that apparently comes much later in life now.

But my experience says otherwise. Children are more resilient and more perceptive than we give them credit for. They see the effort. They see the sacrifice. And most of the time, they respect it.

The guilt that founders carry about working long hours is real. I have felt it myself. But the assumption that your children only see absence is often wrong. They also see purpose. Drive. Someone building something from nothing.

The Hard Truth Is This

Your children do not need you to be present every single second. They need you to be present with intention. They need to see that the work matters. And they need to know they are part of why you do it.

The bookends matter. Breakfast. Bath time. Those moments are non-negotiable. But between the bookends, your children can handle more than you think.

And they might just be prouder of you than you realise.

What do your children think about your work? Have you ever asked them?

#FounderLife #Parenting #Entrepreneurship