If I could give my pre-parent self one piece of advice it would be this: deal with loss.

Let’s be real. Parenthood means losing a lot. Freedom, energy, time, focus, serenity.

That cool breakfast meetup everyone’s going to? Nope.

Motoring through that AI course or working on your side project on a Tuesday evening? Fuhgeddaboudit. You’re exhausted.

Knocking out 50 emails and writing your killer daily LinkedIn post before 8am? Once a quarter perhaps.

Watching others cruise around with minimal responsibilities while you’re drowning in life admin and diapers? You might want to scream.

Many of the things you had, they reduce. Some disappear completely. And like any loss, there’s probably a sense of grief. This can be hard to process. Sometimes it can turn toxic.

This all sounds disempowering, but it’s actually the opposite.

Because once you accept these new constraints - on your time, bandwidth and other resources - it’s wonderfully freeing.

And besides, you now have a little person in your life who’s far more interesting than you are.

P.S. Caveat: Last time I checked, women and men can be different. As is every individual. Your mileage may vary.