Small Decisions Compound

Ben Horowitz tells a story about JFK Jr.'s fatal plane crash. When he asked a pilot what really happened, the answer surprised him: 'All plane crashes are a series of bad decisions. None of the decisions by themselves is that bad, but when you add them up, it's bad.'

There were 17 small choices that led to the crash. Flying when timing was wrong. Misreading conditions. Each one seemed manageable alone. Together, they were catastrophic.

Horowitz's big takeaway: one decision leads to another. A small good decision leads to the next small good decision. A small bad decision makes the next one harder.

This is parenting in a nutshell.

You don't lose connection with your kid in one dramatic moment. You lose it through 17 small choices: checking your phone at dinner, being too tired for the bedtime story, saying 'not now' one more time. Each one is fine on its own. But they compound.

The good news is that good choices compound too.

The small moments of presence add up. The bedtime ritual you never skip. The questions you actually answer. The phone you put down.

Horowitz says the key is being able to 'take the sunk cost' - break the bad pattern when you notice it. Don't let yesterday's bad choices dictate today's. Every moment is a chance to start a new chain of good decisions.