Lessons from Father’s Day

I noticed a flurry of articles on the web about dads and entrepreneurship as we headed into Father’s Day weekend.  And since I’m on my own journey of entrepreneurism with the kids, I took the time to read through as many of them as I could.

One of the constants I have noticed about many of the successful entrepreneurs – and it holds true in this article as well – is they were introduced to business at an early age or came from a family of entrepreneurs.  I suppose this is a common thread amongst many successful professionals, that is, being introduced to their field while still very young.  Anyway, all the articles I read reinforced what I’m trying to accomplish with my own children…having some fun while learning about entrepreneurism.

Speaking of children, I had a great day with them today (Father’s Day).  Since I’m usually focused on trying to teach them something, I decided to take a back seat and let them take the lead.  Below is a list of things I picked up from them:

1. There’s no such thing as too excited.  One of the traditions in our house is you get to sleep in on your special day.  When I finally came down to the kitchen, the kids were jumping with joy.  Between the two of them, they had made me four or five cards.  For the remainder of the day, I was showered with hugs and kisses and exclamations of “I love you daddy.”  All day long.  I have to be honest…I felt like a king.

2. It’s OK to have ice cream more than once on special occasions.  After a nice lunch with the family, we stopped by a local gelato shop for a little something sweet.  Then, after finished a big home-cooked meal, Owen suggested we head out for some ice cream.  When I reminded him of the gelato treat after lunch, he simply responded “but it’s Father’s Day.”  Huh, good point Owen.

3. Father’s Day is really a celebration of family.  While deciding on an afternoon activity, the kids brought up the idea of building something with Legos.  While this may not have been my first preference – I thought a movie or swimming might be fun – I saw they were both excited about creating something new and I immediately jumped on board.  The thing I noticed about playing Legos together was the great energy they brought to the table.  They were so excited to be doing something together and I was really grateful for the decision.

What have you learned from your kids?  Do you have any special family traditions?  Have you ever had ice cream more than once in a day?

Taco Wagon Update: We’ve found a partner to provide tacos for June’s AdVenture and things continue to fall in place.  We also discussed other products we may offer at the wagon and it’s sounding like chocolate and vanilla milk will be an option.  We’re now less than two weeks from the big day!

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