Parenting Is A Team Sport

Ben Williams tracks activation at the team level, not individual: 'Ultimately, security is a team sport. We expect different people to fulfill different parts of the team activation journey.'

Parenting teams are lopsided on purpose. One parent does mornings; the other does bedtimes. One handles the homework battles; the other negotiates vegetable consumption. Grandparents get the fun parts. Babysitters get the structured parts.

The mistake is keeping individual score. She didn't handle that tantrum well. He snapped at dinner. She forgot the permission slip. He was on his phone during bath time.

But zoom out. She handles the nightmares you can't cope with. He does the drop-offs you dread. She remembers which friend is being mean. He knows exactly how they like their sandwiches cut.

Different people fulfill different parts of the journey. The goal isn't for everyone to be equally good at everything - that's impossible and probably exhausting to even attempt.

Stop grading individuals. Measure the team.