The Parenting Mask
Inspired by on Lenny's Podcast
Your kid needs to see you confident, even when you're internally Googling 'is this normal behavior' for the third time today.
Ryan Hoover describes the hardest part of being a CEO: "That flutter in your stomach that you wake up with in the morning of just anxiety and stress and worry. Being a CEO or founder makes it slightly harder in some ways because you still have to put on this mask. You have to put on this face of confidence externally."
This is parenting, basically.
Your kid looks to you to understand if things are okay. If you're panicking, they panic. If you seem worried, they feel unsafe. So you project calm while your brain is running worst-case scenarios at 400mph.
"You don't want to subject them to the same anxiety that you're feeling," Ryan says. You can't be 100% transparent with a four-year-old about how scared you are that they're falling behind, or how worried you are about the thing they said.
The mask is exhausting. It's also necessary. And finding someone - partner, friend, therapist - to take the mask off with? That's not weakness. That's maintenance.
You can't wear it 24/7. You shouldn't have to.
PM Theme: Leadership presence and vulnerability
Parenting Theme: Managing anxiety while projecting calm
“That flutter in your stomach that you wake up with in the morning of just anxiety and stress and worry. Being a CEO or founder makes it slightly harder in some ways because you still have to put on this mask. You have to put on this face of confidence externally.”Ryan Hoover · 00:00:00
“You also don't wanna subject them to the same anxiety that you're feeling and be 100% transparent.”Ryan Hoover · 00:00:28
