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Comment by Waterluvian | Hacker News Reader

I will never get bored of the intellectual stimulace of my job, but yes, I did start to yearn for something more physical. Having kids pretty much solved that desire for me. I'm now a full time roboticist and a part time cook, people mover, negotiator, lab manager, construction foreman, fitness coach, gym spotter, goalie, wanderer, professional wrestler, cleaner, etc.

I'm surprised every week by what it's like to be a parent. I never expected it to round my life out in such a healthy way, both mentally and physically. Not just because I have offspring but because I'm doing a ton of things I haven't done in years, decades.

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> Not just because I have offspring but because I'm doing a ton of things I haven't done in years, decades.

One of the great things in being a parent is that I can once more forget myself for hours when building snow castles or burrowing tunnels into a snow mountain at the end of the street, and no one bats an eye 'because kids'. Having kids also changes you in a way that you once more remember how awesome that was in the first place.

Right now I'm lounging in a tent filled with pillows and blankets, in the basement, snuggling with my son as we watch cartoons (StoryBots is a masterpiece).

There are effects of this morning routine, which I cannot directly explain, that make my upcoming work day so easy and productive.

Exactly that.

Being a parent also gives you a great excuse to finally buy that drone!

I... I can't even...

Frack, you're winning at parenting. I'm a dad and have never ever even once thought of it in those terms. I've never once thought, "thank goodness I'm a parent, it gives me something physical to do."

Agreed. This is a good mindset shift that I will definitely be using.

Thank you for this comment, I've forwarded it to some new parents in my life. It reminds me of this quote from Heinlein: “A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.”

There are a lot of skills in that list that I don't find essential, and a number that my personal list would add, but it's still one of my favorite quotes of all time. I might even call it the motto of my life.

That's an amazing quote, and it will probably hold up for decades if not centuries.... except the "plan an invasion" part. Not sure how intrinsic that is to the nature of a balanced human life.

I loved that quote when I was a teenager, but over time I came to hate it. We can't master everything. We don't live long enough, and besides, the list of things to master grows superlinearly, which means mastering even one thing requires specialization.

One should absolutely have a diverse set of skills and interest and knowledge, but it's also important to pick one or two things to truly master.

It doesn’t say to master all those things...in fact that’s the opposite of his point, which is to be reasonably competent at a lot of things rather than being helpless without a specialist around. Heinlein’s characters are (sometimes hilariously) self-sufficient, but respectful of true expertise.

My perspective has been to be able to "speak the language". You may not be able to rebuild your engine, perform surgery, build your own PC, etc. But know enough that you can have a meaningful conversation with the experts.

Culturally, we are told to define ourselves by our jobs (what we do to provide money for our dependents or ourselves). We've lost the idea of vocation, and that vocation extends beyond the "9-to-5."

Parenting is absolutely a vocation, and your perspective toward it is quite refreshing.

That’s a pretty nice report on being a parent, quite inspiring… Thank you.

"I'm now a full time roboticist and a part time cook, people mover, negotiator, lab manager, construction foreman, fitness coach, gym spotter, goalie, wanderer, professional wrestler, cleaner, etc."

This reminds me of that write-up that tried to put a price on a stay-at-home parent by listing all the activities they do, looking at the price of a specialist, and adding it up. I'm bookmarking yours for future conversations like that since it's shorter, has more activities, and is more fun to read. :)

It's interesting you say that. My wife and I have made a very conscious decision about our income generation capabiltiy vs. being full-time parents.

She retired (at the old age of 29) to be a full-time mom. I found a job where I work 100% from home.

We have not attempted to quantify our decision. All we had to do was discuss it qualitatively and it was a no-brainer.

My oldest just turned 2, my youngest is almost 3 months. These are the greatest times of our lives. Why would I want to miss this for anything? No amount of money can replace these extra long mornings, lunchtime park/toboggan hill outings, and 4pm Mom-induced visits from my toddler who runs into my office, grabs my hand, and guides me to his building blocks.

I longed to be a scout 'back in the day', but it was beyond my family's means. Participating in the various camping, hiking, Pinewood Derby activities prompted by my son's participation in scouts is great for his confidence and enjoyment and for our time together, but it's adding something to my life that I never expected to have.

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