Quick Hits

At-home fatherhood (or motherhood) is not an easy reality to adjust to, even if you're excited about being around you kid all day long. There are constant reminders of the disconnect between the nobility of the whole childrearing thing and the fact that parents don't possess what society seems to cherish (money, status, stories of adventure). It's a rare piece that can present that dichotomy, so I found this piece in the Chronicle of Higher Education quite interesting. It tells the tale of a trailing husband, forced into the SAHD lifestyle by his wife's job change, and his job search ambivalence. Read to the end -- the author, David Latessa, comes to a conclusion that I think will ring true for most at-home fathers. The honesty and clarity makes it a worthwhile read.

Because I can be a huge geek, I was watching a presentation from Guy Kawasaki, the Apple evangelist-turned-VC. At the end of his speech, he mentions that, a decade ago, he was approached about being CEO of Yahoo during the search firm's early days. It was an hour commute each way and he had one kid with another on the way, so Kawasaki said no. Looking back, he figures that -- at worst -- passing up the opportunity cost him $2 billion. He said it's worth it -- he got to see his children grow up. That's a heckuva statement: being there for the kids is worth billions.

Finally, you may have noticed that I disappear pretty regularly on Thursdays. That's because I'm posting over at the Washington Post's On Balance blog. Just in case you missed me ...