I think many parents with their own business have thought it at some point: how amazing it would be if my child followed in my footsteps. So when my children reached the age to start looking for further education, we went to visit my old school. How much it had changed! It had become a world of its own, and I didn’t recognize it anymore.
Neither of my children felt at home there, and they chose different paths, which I completely respected. It’s your life, your choice. What I love to do doesn’t have to be the same for my children. I only have to think back to my father, who immersed himself in numbers in his accounting business, to know that. The thought of doing that my whole life makes me shiver. I can barely add two plus two, and when it comes to higher numbers, I mostly picture them dancing the lambada. No, I’ve never been into numbers and always stayed far away from his office and work.
After trying many different things, my daughter now works as a customer service manager at a pet wholesaler. No two days are the same, and that’s precisely what makes it so enjoyable for her ADHD mind. Besides customer contact, problem-solving, and coaching her team, she’s also drawn to product photography and wants to do more with social media—simply because she enjoys it.
That’s where her world and mine intersect. I regularly get messages like: “Mom, what’s the best way to save the photo for the website?” or “How do I do this in WooCommerce?” and even “What’s FTP?” or “How do I remove the background and put a different one behind it?”
I love answering all her questions, because I can share a piece of my world with her. Secretly, she dreams of having her own business. When she told me, my heart leapt, because I’ve always known she had it in her. A fighter. A go-getter. A smart girl who needed to find her own way.
I write back explaining the best way to save the photo for the web.
“Ooh, this is great!” she replies. I just smile at my screen. Absolutely great.
Of course, my daughter gets preferential treatment in my company, but when clients text or email “help!”, I’m just as ready with an answer. Not because of the invoice; nine times out of ten, I “forget” to send it after a request for help. But simply because, if we all helped each other a little, the world would be a kinder place.