#25: Duc Nghiem - TaaF part 1

Part 1: Dad wasn’t born to be a father. This is also the first time Dad has been a father.

Duc Nghiem - TaaF

Back to the time, I was focusing on my startup project, then my wife told me she was pregnant for 2 months already. That was a shock! I wasn’t ready to have a kid anymore. So it took me a month to keep calm, arrange works and celebrated my wedding when Mam tom was “4 months”. Months later, I moved to salaried employment, read dad’s books, and started to learn how to be a dad. Yeah, it exactly learned to be a dad.

Frankly speaking, it is a negotiation. I used to build the network by taking part in lots of events and conferences. It was said that the startup community when mentioning me. When they remember us by our specialty (personal branding), they soon forget us when we don’t do that thing anymore or with fewer frequencies. We will be forgotten! This is the most affected in my career since I’ve had Mam Tom. However, I decided to take the first 3 years with my daughter seriously, so working wasn’t my first priority. I put my whole focusing on Tom and my wife. I didn’t suppose that I even learn from my daughter, a lot.

Mam Tom looks like my first-time startup. We were ready to take risks since we were an “empty paper” or had nothing to lose. I had my daughter check the DNA to get the health status, personality, characters, etc. It reveals quite a lot of things. For example, Tom’s DNA shows that she can be very good at math, logic, so I realize she can spend an hour playing lego without being bored. As a toddler, she was so shy in front of the crowd, so I pushed her to the opposite side. I don’t want her always stay in her comfort zone. Integrated time can be longer, but it’s worth trying. I took her to an international school with a bunch of outdoor activities, but still have some private corner for her. You know, it took Mam Tom six months to observe the new environment. When she felt safe, she has entered the activities. Of course, the amount of integrated time has gradually dropped.

I also took her to swim, drawing, and music classes. She hates swimming the most cause she is forced to the framework. I tried many ways to let her not give up. She can hate it, but she has to complete the course. In contrast, she prefers music lessons. The exciting thing is that she loves the class not because of itself. There is a giant lego play yard in front of the class! Cool. To be motivated, let mix with your favorite activity.

It’s tough to raise a kid whatever we learn. But it’s fun anyway!

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