Smash Notes
Jason Preston on startups, kids, and making a Dent in the universe.
Jason is a co-founder of Dent , a company that creates and supports a community of entrepreneurs, executives, and creatives who are driven to “put a dent in the universe.” He lives in Seattle with his wife Monica Guzman, the founder of The Evergrey , and together they are raising two adorable multilingual kids. We sat down to talk about their startup…
People
Notes
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You want to send your child to the best school possible, but they don’t tell you how expensive schools are. Is the best option for your kid the most expensive one? Jason doesn't necessarily agree.
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Kids are the ones to enforce routine because they need it. As a parent, you’ll have different routines and rituals that will incorporate into your life because you and your family will need sustainability.
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Jason and Monica tried a little bit of everything, which included taking time off, hiring a nanny, having kids going to daycare, and a little bit more of constant runaround! Out of all the things they tried, at-home daycare seemed the most beneficial regarding pre-school stuff.
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Jason Preston tells Geek at Sea that the first tip is immersion. His wife, Monica Guzman, has parents nearby who speak Spanish. The family visits every week, and for those hours the house is in Spanish. His own rule is to use the language even when he speaks it poorly, rather than waiting until he sounds right. The question comes from a host whose wife speaks Chinese and who is about to take his children to Taiwan for the same reason. Preston's answer is that the language has to be the room the child is standing in. Initiative, he says, matters more than a polished accent.
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It’s inspired by a Steve Jobs’ quote, “We’re going to put a dent in the universe.” Jason intending to make a Dent in the universe because he thinks the genetic lottery is BS. By getting those who are making a difference in the world, everyone can learn from each other on how to make an impact through their work.
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When you have young kids and you go on a beach vacation, somewhere nice, you don't actually get any vacation time. You have to constantly watch your kids from falling into the ocean, or jumping off a balcony, or eating lots of sand. Real family vacations where you can relax don't start till much later when your kids are finally playing on their own for longer than 2 minutes.
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Jason believes that the more native his kids are to technology, the better their prospects for the future will be. Now, his family has a limit on technological activities, but he and his wife are still teaching them about cultural balance about technology.
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Perhaps you shouldn't, but you actually should, teach your 3 year-old about when certain things are okay. Like, it’s okay for a doctor to check certain things as long as your parents are around.
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You start to feel responsibility to right the wrong things, even if your children aren’t watching you. You get used to having authority of being your parent, and you’ll try to exert it elsewhere too.
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Jason Preston tells Geek at Sea that negotiating with his children, over dessert, TV time, or a trip to the zoo, is more work than a flat order. He still prefers it. Because I said so, he says, has zero meaning, and he tries not to use it. He wants the kids to take part rather than merely obey. The extra work exists because they are different people. His daughter will throw a long fit if she is not the one who turns the TV off. His son asks to be carried and to have his seat belt buckled. They get real options. Past those options, the answer is no.
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Jason Preston, co-founder of Dent, tells Geek at Sea that the worst part of parenting is not laughing when a child is being funny on purpose. At bedtime one of his kids throws pajamas in the sink because it is funny, and it is. At a Mexican restaurant, his son Julian and a friend's five-year-old, Maya, are at the table. Maya says a burrito looks like manicotti, which already impresses the adults, then hears manna potty in the word and the table loses it. Preston's point is that the jokes kids invent usually land. Keeping a straight face is the actual work.
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In the span of the 30 years, so many societal changes are happening. Doing life requires compromise from all of us. No one has really figured out which can do what parts of work and in life, which will also change as your kids are growing up.
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Having a kid is the biggest Dent there is. Tickling your kid is the definition of joy— seriously! You believe that your kids gave you a gift by letting you be their parent. You have a richness of circumstance when becoming a parent, and it extends your life.
Related notes
- Do Routines Greatly Improve Your Life as a Parent
- What Can Improve Your Marriage When You Have Kids
- Why Are Startup Founders So Often Young and Single
- What Does Every Parent Need to Know About Raising Children
- What Does Parenting vs. Being Parented Look Like
- How Can Technology Give Low-income Kids the Same Lessons?
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