Parenting

About a month ago, our oldest child Jessica inquired as to the whereabouts of the family videos we took of our kids when they were younger. We looked around a bit and finally found them. We hadn't seen them in years. The Gotham Gal took all the tapes over to the local photo store and got them put onto a set of DVDs, one for us and one each for the three kids. Jessica took the extra step of uploading all of them to Dropbox and inviting all of us to the folder.

So we've been watching these videos a bunch in the past month. We've also had the pleasure of having all of our kids home since late May so it has been "family time" at home. It's a rare thing these days and it won't last so we are making the most of it.

When I watch the videos, particularly the ones where we took Jessica home from the hospital, I marvel at how young we were. We had no idea what we were doing. 

Fast forward to June 2013, twenty-two years later, and we've learned a lot about parenting. One of our kids is out of college, one is in college, and one is entering his senior year in high school. I feel older, but wiser. And our kids have themselves to thank for that. They have taught us how to be parents.

Parenting is one of life's great pleasures. It has made me a better person in many ways. I am more patient, accepting, and understanding than I was before kids entered our life.

So on Father's Day, I am thankful for the experience of being a parent and parenting. It's an incredible gift and I feel fortunate to have received it.

#life lessons

Comments (Archived):

  1. AlexHammer

    You are a mature human being, which is why you are successful.

  2. William Mougayar

    Bringing back memories to relive them is a wonderful thing. It always gives you a new perspective as you see things with an added insight or additional thought.Happy Fathers’ Day everybody.

  3. awaldstein

    I’m all in on this. Raising my son was as empowering and humbling an experience that I was lucky to have.A few years ago, i got a sack of rotting super 8 tapes that my dad shot from the time my older brother was born to when I was around 4 or 5. Almost a hundred hours of junk that i digitized and edited down to maybe 30, 30 sec to 2 minute chunks.Amazing seeing your parents when they were in their 20s and myself, just born.This is a still of my father reading to me when I was maybe 4. The section on video is 25 seconds long and the most intimate, emotionally wrapped piece of video i’ve ever seen (to me of course).Happy Fathers Day Fred and everyone.

    1. fredwilson

      you look like your dad

      1. awaldstein

        The Polish side of the family in features, the Russian side of the family in temperament!

    2. William Mougayar

      I can see the striking resemblance.

    3. Donna Brewington White

      Oh that’s so great!

    4. leapy

      I have to ask how you digitised the film? My mother has boxes of Super 8 from my own childhood and I would love to digitise them before she shuffles off her mortal coil (she had a stroke a few weeks ago).I am hoping there is a method of scanning these without risking placing them near the hot bulb of a projector. Pretty certain they will just melt instantly.

      1. awaldstein

        I had this done in LA a number of years ago so today’s tech I can’t speak to.What I do know is that waiting is a bad idea. For my stuff it was disintegrating and getting it in a digital format was key to me.Sorry I can’t be more specific on this but this should be an easy one to track down,

        1. leapy

          Thx πŸ™‚

  4. pointsnfigures

    We had kids right around the same time-and my wife and I didn’t know anything about it either. The true startup experience! Have a great day.On a tech note, what’s the best way to take all those old vids and preserve them? Is it DVD? Or do we pay to put them in the cloud? (I don’t even have a VHS,DVD player anymore!) Need to put my wedding videos from VHS to something permanent too.

    1. fredwilson

      we did both

    2. Elia Freedman

      I haven’t used them yet — pulling all the old pictures to digitize — but check out ScanCafe.

      1. pointsnfigures

        thanks. will do. worry about photos too. now i never take them except with my camera. as a result, they are all on facebook, twitter or instagram. weird-don’t really have photo albums like my parents did.

    3. LE

      ” Need to put my wedding videos from VHS to something permanent too.”Buy a used VHS and use a converter to digitize them. Then you can do whatever you want with them. Magnetic tape deteriorates so you might get on that asap.Something like this:http://www.elgato.com/video…As an aside notice the marketing here. They are selling you not only a device but a way to get to there from here. The photo very clearly shows the RCA connectors (which most people are familiar with) as well as various devices. (I would make a few adjustments such as putting “youtube” in the top copy but all in all it’s pretty good.)

      1. pointsnfigures

        thanks!!

  5. Greening

    Lovely post: I have three children each a decade apart, all i can share is said here beautifully http://www.youtube.com/watc…Happy Fathers Day, Fred πŸ™‚

  6. JLM

    .Hell, you haven’t seen anything yet — wait until your IQ gets the 25+ year old boost when the bambinos suddenly realize you are not nearly as dumb or square as they thought you were.I suspect that your VC career and parenting are really one and the same.Good on ya!JLM.

    1. fredwilson

      yup. i think about that all the time

    2. Donna Brewington White

      It is amazing how similar the two occupations seem to be.Sometimes I think my love of startups may come from my maternal instincts. Although I probably shouldn’t voice this.

  7. Chris O'Donnell

    I’ve got a stack of 8mm tapes I’ve been meaning to get converted. I’m a little afraid though because I’m pretty sure the footage runs about 80/20 in favor of our oldest. We’ll have to explain to our daughter the perils of being second born to young parents with the first still in diapers!

    1. fredwilson

      that is very much the case with ours. our son, who came last, has the least footage by a long shot

      1. JLM

        .Don’t worry, in the future he will be leveraging the “abandoned child” lack of photographic record big time.The first child gets everything. This is why they invented primogeniture.JLM.

        1. ErikSchwartz

          As a first child I concur. My wife is also a first child. We do not understand the complaints of our younger kids. Of course it’s unfair, it’s supposed to be unfair.

      2. ErikSchwartz

        Our situation is more complicated. My wife is an amazing photographer. Ellie was born in 2002, digital cameras were crude affairs at the time and new parents do not have time to shoot film.William was born in 2010. The card in Katy’s Canon 5D holds thousands of pictures, not 36 exposures. So the first 2 kids are reasonably well documented because they were first children, the last two are amazingly well documented because the tools are so much better and easier.

        1. ShanaC

          how many kids do you have?

          1. ErikSchwartz

            Four. Three girls and a boy (the youngest).

        2. takingpitches

          yes – we have 1500 pics at least of the first 4 months of our twins.thanks to mmayer for the terabyte on Flickr!

      3. ShanaC

        so does my brother – and oddly my cousin has more than me (mom was an aunt for a very long time before having me)

  8. jason wright

    ‘father’ has generally been unfamiliar in my fractured family, and i have no children…yet.fatherhood seems like a daunting prospect from the outside looking in. i’m sure it takes some working out.i watched this conversation earlier in the week;https://www.youtube.com/wat…it also touches on parenting…and being an adult, and organic food (of personal interest), and revenue models, and NYC.

    1. CJ

      Daunting? Yes. Hard? Yes. But it can be summed up like this: There are only two options with being a father, rise to the occasion or fail. Once you understand that, the rest is…child’s play. πŸ™‚

      1. jason wright

        i’ll be tire kicking for a little while longer πŸ™‚

        1. CJ

          I don’t blame you at all. πŸ™‚

      2. Donna Brewington White

        You are so quotable (read: tweetable) lately.

  9. ErikSchwartz

    We have 4 kids (11, 8, 5, and 2.5) and they are the center of our lives. Nothing humbles you like your first child.Watching them discover the world is an amazing experience.

  10. CJ

    “Parenting is one of life’s great pleasures. It has made me a better person in many ways. I am more patient, accepting, and understanding than I was before kids entered our life.”I became a parent very young, 18 to be precise. I wouldn’t be the man I am today if it wasn’t forced to adapt, mature, and grow then. It was a harrowing experience for sure, but I’ve come through the other side much better than I went it. I can’t be anything but thankful for that.Yes, parenting has definitely made me a better person. It took a boy and turned him into a man and I haven’t looked back.

    1. JLM

      .Well played. You are a strong, successful and accomplished person because of this alone. Well played.Happy Father’s Day!JLM.

    2. William Mougayar

      They say the minute you have a kid, you realize you’re not a kid yourself, and you suddenly grow-up.

  11. jason wright

    a Lancaster bomber flanked by two Spitfires just flew over the roof of my house. not a daily event….and again. all friendly. RAF roundals in full view. alert over.

    1. JLM

      .Count that a blessing. I am reading a memoir from a WWII period when the V rockets were flying over London.Lancasters and Spitfire are a certain improvement, no? I want to fly a Spitfire before I die.JLM

      1. pointsnfigures

        I can arrange for that maybe. P-51 for sure. If you want to drive armored vehicles from WW2, I can arrange for that-but you have to be in London. Spitfires are a bit tougher, but I bet there will be one at the Oshkosh Air Show in Wisconsin during their warbird fly in.

      2. Dave Pinsen

        Just read Waugh’s Sword of Honor trilogy which covers that period. You might like it. Novels (one, really) drawn from Waugh’s WWII experiences.When John McCain met with militants in Syria recently, it reminded me of a picaresque character from Sword of Honor, a slightly off-his-rocker general named Ben Ritchie-Hook. The novel is worth reading for that alone. I bet McCain never read it, which is too bad.

  12. Rohan

    Happy fathers day, Fred and all dads here! πŸ™‚

    1. Donna Brewington White

      And someday YOU too. You will be an amazing Dad!

  13. JLM

    .My Dad in November 1941 only two weeks before Pearl Harbor.The strongest, smartest, principled man I have ever met.Thanks, Dad.JLM.

    1. William Mougayar

      The picture says it all.

      1. pointsnfigures

        looks like an officer.

        1. Donna Brewington White

          and a gentleman. Really.(and probably also seeing this photo through the lens of the stories @JLM:disqus has told about him)

          1. JLM

            .Officers are gentlemen by an act of Congress.Inside the Army joke.JLM.

          2. Donna Brewington White

            Happy Father’s Day, JLM. You rule.

        2. JLM

          .My Dad had joined the Army on a lark at the end of the 1930s. He was a printer until then.When he was offered a battlefield commission, he declined telling the Battalion Commander — “I don’t want to be a Lt because the reason the job is available is they keep getting killed.”At that time he was a section sergeant with two guns — 105 mm howitzers — shooting it out with the German 88s, The German 88 which could be fired direct fire, high angle fire, anti-aircraft and anti-tank was one Hell of an artillery piece. They were deadly.Thereafter, he was ordered to become a Lt and had no choice. He was damn lucky as every Lt in his unit was killed or wounded. He emerged unscathed from that war.JLM.

          1. BillMcNeely

            Sounds like a respectable NCO response! πŸ™‚

    2. takingpitches

      Do you know where this is?

      1. JLM

        .I think this was the famous 1941 maneuvers in South Carolina which provided such an insight into how ill prepared the Army was for war.From these maneuvers, in which Eisenhower played an important planning role, Marshall was able to determine that all Division commanders over 50 years old were going to have to be replaced.Just prior to the N African landings, Marshall began to clean house and this turned out to have been a critical consideration in developing what was still a fledgling leadership talent pool.All of Marshall’s boys moved up.JLM.

        1. awaldstein

          JLM–you have one of the deepest, most obscure knowledge bases of one particular niche, of most anyone I know. Except possibly myself.The old ditty that if you want to change the world, learn one thing really really well, then everything else will come easier with more understanding makes a lot of sense.Keep sharing!

        2. takingpitches

          War games and flour sack bombs, months before Pearl Harbor.WWII history is something

          1. JLM

            .When one considers the German Army and the Japanese Army on 7 Dec 1941, it is truly remarkable what the Americans accomplished in just 3 1/2 years.Those bastards had a decade head start on us and we outplayed them.American exceptionalism writ large.I am proud to be an American.JLM.

    3. LE

      Nothing like a soft torn edge photo from that time period. When I saw this on the iphone the bottom part was cut off. Your father’s lean almost made it look like he was on a segway.

    4. JLM

      .The rifle my Dad is holding is a Garand M1,the Army’s standard rifle during World War II and through the end of Korea until replaced by the M14 and M16 in Viet Nam.As cadets we had M1s my first year and I could disassemble one blindfolded. I did not make any friends amongst the upperclassmen but I won a lot of bets and money.I had often gone to the rifle range when my Dad was teaching ROTC at Rutgers. I could shoot an M1 like a natural.I remember my Dad teaching me to zero and sight in a M1 and to hold my breath, squeeze and surprise myself when the rifle fired.I remember his firing that weapon and a far away look coming into his eyes — like he was back in Italy during the War. He could really shoot.When I went to VMI, I could shoot a rifle like a pro. The first time we shot for qualification when Rats, I shot a perfect score. Every single round in the bullseye.I think we were shooting at about 75 yards and I was used to shooting at 300 yards. For a lot of cadets this was the first time they had ever handled an M1, so 75 yards was enough of a challenge.Every time I see an M1, I think of my Dad.JLM.

    5. John Revay

      Nicely stated!

    6. leapy

      Now *this* is what digitising is all about. How much has been lost over the years that could have been saved for future generations?!You are so lucky to have this photo.

  14. aminTorres

    Happy Father’s Day Fred.

  15. JimHirshfield

    Well said.

  16. William Mougayar

    My Dad and I, last year. Doesn’t he look great at 88! The nicest, hardest working man I ever met.

    1. ShanaC

      you two look alike πŸ™‚ (In a good way)

    2. awaldstein

      Nice…you are so lucky to have your father around William. Enjoy each other!

    3. Kirsten Lambertsen

      There’s something really charming about this picture.

    4. JLM

      .Matching ties. Dad’s is a bit wider and Sonny’s is a bit thinner.Men of their times. Dapper and well dressed.Well played!JLM.

      1. LE

        “Dapper and well dressed.”People tend to follow dressing patterns that they learned when growing up (duh, right?). For example I’ve noticed that many people that are slightly older than I am tend to not wear dungarees because they weren’t in vogue when they were in high school (they wear these habandy type pants).My father follows the same dressing patterns that I’m sure your father and William’s follows. Jacket and tie,generally even when not necessary. Because it feels right and comfortable to them. My parents never came down from the bedroom without being all dressed properly. No shirt? Only on the beach. Not at the table. Never ever.Now let’s explore why that is the case [1]. Because back then people would tend to judge social class by dress much more than they do today. So if you looked like a schlep or working class person you got treated that way. And it mattered more how you were treated by others than it does today. Today that is certainly less the case. Think of popular culture and the way celebrities are portrayed in the media. Dress as a differentiator is less significant. Zuckerberg shows up to meet investment bankers in a hoodie (big big mistake in my opinion btw.)Not trying to sound racist here (and hope that I don’t) but I have observed cases where African Americans tend to dress up more than whites do in the same situation. To me the reason is that they feel they have to because otherwise they will get treated differently. And they probably will get treated differently. More differently than I will with the same dress. [2]Let me give you an illustration. I’m white and I can drive my very nice car dressed anyway I want. Dungarees and a t-shirt and as I’ve pointed out in the past I also don’t even have a front license plate on the car. My guess is that if I was African american (“DWB” as they say) I probably wouldn’t be as cavalier both in my dress or the license plate. I’ve never been pulled over ever (except obviously for speeding type thing). Driving my car and with a different skin color unshaven I can definitely see the potential to be treated differently. Cops just drive right by.[1] No research, strictly my observations.[2] When I get dressed up for some reason I get treated differently by complete strangers no doubt about it. If I cared to get treated like a casino patron with that fake respect I probably would do this more often. But I like flying below the radar and being ignored.

        1. William Mougayar

          “My father follows the same dressing patterns that I’m sure your father and William’s follows. Jacket and tie,generally even when not necessary. Because it feels right and comfortable to them.”True. It’s a matter of principle to them, and I’ve come to highly appreciate and respect that. Growing-up, I used to “borrow” his ties to look like him. I remember when he taught me how to tie the knot. Now, I’m proud when I buy him ties and shirts, like the ones he’s wearing there.

          1. LE

            “I remember when he taught me how to tie the knot.”I can remember the inpatient yank around the neck of that teaching!

        2. jason wright

          DWB?

          1. JLM

            .Haha, you need to get out more Jason. Sorry.Maybe it is a Southern thang.JLM.

    5. takingpitches

      he looks amazing!

    6. Donna Brewington White

      That is an amazing photo, William. The fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree, does it?

      1. William Mougayar

        Nah! I’m not even close.

    7. fredwilson

      i posted a picture of my dad and my brothers and i on instagram todayhttp://instagram.com/p/aolw…

      1. Donna Brewington White

        That photo is precious!

      2. Techman

        Too bad Disqus can’t detect and display the image. Perhaps you should ask them about the ability to detect Instagram links.

    8. Techman

      You and your dad look very alike πŸ™‚

      1. William Mougayar

        True.

  17. Matt A. Myers

    Happy Father’s day to all dads. I want to be a father sooner than later – and realizing more and more that my reasoning of “not ready yet” holds less and less; Mind you I’m missing a partner, though woking on that … make take a few pivots before that happens, maybe not though..

  18. phollows

    Happy Father’s Day, Fred.

  19. Kirsten Lambertsen

    Happy Father’s Day, all you dads :-)I love your statement that you learned parenting from your kids. That is SO true.I’m lucky to be married to a full-time dad. He’s definitely earned his day, today. He’s a total knucklehead, and that’s why we love him.

    1. Donna Brewington White

      He’s cute, Kirsten! (But you know that, right?)My husband did some time as a full-time, stay-at-home-dad. It takes a rare breed.

      1. Kirsten Lambertsen

        Ha ha! This doesn’t much look like him, actually (that’s fake hair coming out of the Che hat). When we first met in 1989, I thought he looked like a young Marlon Brando.It does take a rare breed, you’re right.

      2. Kirsten Lambertsen

        You should share a picture of Mr. Donna πŸ™‚

  20. John Clyman

    When I became a parent not long after my startup was acquired, I was struck by the parallels between the two experiences.The raw uncertainty: Operating outside your usual comfort zone, wondering if you’re doing the right thing.The total commitment: Persevering no matter what, knowing that giving up is not an option.The emotional roller coaster: Unprecedented highs swinging to unfathomable lows.The sense of creation: Being responsible for bringing something new and wonderful into the world.The relationship strain: Testing your ability to get along with your partner under trying circumstances.I’m convinced that my experiences as a founder have made me a better father. And also that my experiences as a father will make me a better founder when I take that leap again.

    1. JLM

      .No Boardmember has ever smelled as sweet or been as warm as a freshly powdered baby’s bottom.Of course, now that I think about it, I never really have powdered a Boardmember’s bottom. Maybe I should have. Some of them acted like they had taken a dump in their pants, no?JLM.

  21. ShanaC

    happy father’s day -got to call the other entrepreneur in residence(my dad)

  22. daryn

    Happy Father’s Day, Fred!

  23. Richard

    Proud Parents come in all shapes and sizes

    1. BillMcNeely

      Rich, every time my wife and I hug and my 8 year old son is within sight he come comes running and squeezes in between us . We call this the penguin hug. He did not believe me until he saw your picture!

  24. Collin Canright

    Very well said. Whatever else I have accomplished and have yet to accomplish, parenting my daughter, both teaching and learning, has been my most rewarding experience. Happy Fathers Day to you all. . .

  25. laurie kalmanson

    u r wonderful. happy father’s day. my padawan is 10 and so far so good.

  26. aarondelcohen

    This may be my all time favorite post. Happy Father’s Day

  27. kirklove

    #parent

  28. LE

    “Parenting is”To me parenting is all about teachable moments. [1] Unfortunately since I was not custodial parent I haven’t had as much opportunity in this area although I do now get a “do over” with my 2 step kids.The whole family was out last night for father’s day. One of my daughters (going to college next year) was with us (the other was away somewhere but that’s cool for me I don’t stand on ceremony much I never obligate them to do anything they don’t want to do.). Anyway we were all taking pictures in a restaurant and my sister made a comment that we were starting to bother others with the flashes. (I didn’t think we were but that’s beside the point…). Anyway I pulled my daughter aside and in so many words told her that my sister was wrong that it didn’t matter what others thought all that mattered was that we got the pictures. I was mimicking my father’s behavior that I learned, while my sister was mimicking my mother the polite “follow all the rules and don’t create a spectacle” person. [2] My daughter said, in a moment that I’m sure JLM could appreciate, “I know I’m like you mommy (my ex wife) always tells me that.That said I would never let my kids run wild or make noise in a restaurant or public place I am very cognizant of others. I don’t want to give the impressions that I’m one of those people that runs roughshod with no courtesy.[1] Not about how many ball games or school events you attend and sit like a lemming in the audience. Unless you like doing that of course.[2] Diversity in parents is important as the child gets to see and learn two perspectives. One of the reasons divorced women should be more eager to let a new man into their family and perhaps give him a little say in how things are done in that family. (Mine does and it works very well.)

  29. matthughes

    Happy Father’s Day to all the stand-in dads out there…My dad — who I love dearly — was always ‘gone’ a lot, for lack of a better word.At different times I was blessed with great stand-in dads, i.e., my friend’s dads and people from my church community that embraced me as their own.Whether it was being invited on their family vacations or just me tagging along to the occasional family activity, I was always blessed with great love and support from these men and their families.To what degree they knew my dad was gone I don’t really know, but I suspect they knew more than I knew at the time.I am forever grateful for these stand-in dads.

  30. Donna Brewington White

    Happy Father’s Day, Fred. It is obvious that you are a great dad! An inspiration, actually.I am blessed to be married to a man who is a wonderful father to our four kids. He lightens things up around our house and our kids are crazy about him! Well, the 18 year old is going through a stage, but he will come back around.AVC seems to attract some guys who are great dads as well. I love hearing the stories.Happy Father’s Day, guys!

    1. JLM

      .Teenagers are God’s final exam for parenting.Wait until you get the empty nest, it is very sweet.About 25 years old suddenly your babies — they will always be your babies — discover how really cool and smart Mom and Dad are after all.JLM.

      1. Donna Brewington White

        JLM – I have considered sending my hard-headed arrogant genius 18-year old son (with a heart of gold) to you to raise for a year.That is high praise from this protective mom and I am half serious. My husband agrees. In fact, Mark and I were (half) joking about flying to Austin to sit around the β€œcampfire” with you. Don’t be surprised if you get a call.(BTW, my culinary school bound son just yesterday was accepted at a university in NY to study computer science — and is seriously considering this. He only applied to ONE college and only half-heartedly because they hounded him and kept extending the deadline! How is that for a flip flop? You promise that it gets easier?)

        1. William Mougayar

          Wow, you’ll have a key reason to be back in NY more often then!Food + Computer Science = Food Science. Maybe your son will be the next Hestor Blumenthal, Ferran Adria or Grant Achatz.

          1. Donna Brewington White

            It isn’t lost on me that the school is in New York.We’ll see what happens.

        2. ShanaC

          which school? maybe he should come here

        3. JLM

          .Bring it. It is always great to have someone in the family who is a chef.Revel in that 18 year old’s rebellion. He is exercising the freedom to try out the wings you have built with him and which you have empowered him to use.He will fly strong and true.He will return with his first fresh kill. I promise you.JLM.

  31. John Revay

    Photo of me and my dad from over 35 years ago – ( High School age) – we both played the saxophone growing up…and my dad was invited to play w/ us.Scanned this photo in for his funeral – at little over three years ago. Some times (even at age 50) you don’t know what you have until it is lost.

    1. jason wright

      nice memory.

    2. JLM

      .Wow, straight from the heart and the horn. Sweet music indeed.Well played!JLM.

      1. William Mougayar

        Great pic! Love it. (meant for John)

    3. Donna Brewington White

      I know what you mean, John. There is a gaping hole in the universe where my Dad used to be. Funny thing about memories; even the imperfections become precious in retrospect.This photo is wonderful. Do you still play?

    4. markslater

      awseome.

  32. VanGoingToWin

    @fredwilson:disqus, what are your thoughts on a business that specializes in exactly this. We send you a prepaid package, you throw in your old VHS’, we send you a link to view your home movies online?

    1. fredwilson

      I think its a commodity. Nothing unique or special about it

      1. Ronald Carpentier

        In that light, have you considered using a service like http://www.peggybank.com? What are your thoughts on this model (digitisation + storage + management of assets + sharing)? On a side note: I’m not involved in Peggybank in any way. Final note: love your blog – thanks for sharing!

  33. Lee Blaylock

    Parenting > Entrepreneurship. and much more important. But I LOVE both.

  34. Paul Sanwald

    nice stories from lots of folks. I built my dad a site for father’s day to showcase his woodworking: http://sanwaldwoodwork.com/ . when I was 8 he built me a colonial period desk using the original plans; with no electric tools whatsoever. he hand cut every dovetail joint, because he wanted to build it the way it would have been built originally. this is exactly the kind of person he is, just awesome.

    1. JLM

      .Wow, that is some real craftsmanship. Well played to your parents and you.JLM.

  35. Tom Labus

    Once you hit “post tuition” time you think maybe you can relax a bit but then it dawns on you that they’re out in the world. Yeah, that world!

  36. markslater

    i just want the permanent 6am alarm clock to not go off – just for 1 day!its the greatest thing that ever happened to me.Last week was a particularly trying week at work – i’d end up back home a total ball of stress. 10 minutes with stella and sebastian and normalcy would break through……its very very hard being the CEO of a startup, a father to 2 under 4 and a loving husband. But wo’s complaining – i signed up for it……just hope that i dont look back on this a few years from now and regret it.happy fathers day everyone….and to my dad πŸ˜‰ see you on friday on the golf course !!

  37. Denim Smith

    This is a great post – happy Father’s Day Fred!Your words resonate with me and I thought a lot about my ‘next 22 years’ after my wife’s father passed away before we were married, then our daughter was born, and then my wife’s family home burned down and almost lost all of their childhood memories and all of the memories of their dad. This is the reason I am building Lifemap – there’s so much to solve for when memories are strung across time, analogue & digital, cloud apps and hard disks and dvd’s, so we’re permanently organizing them in an archive in the cloud for everyone in the family to enjoy anywhere and for all time. Intuitively organized for your life with storytelling being the key — and a Lifemap can be passed down posthumously to own, control and enjoy within the family for generations.Would love you to take two minutes to view our intro video that will solve for the pain points you mention and which most families have or will experience and get these priceless emotional assets out of Dropbox and on to Lifemap (www.miLifemap.com) πŸ˜‰ :http://youtu.be/tzp9ZT6xIFs