Parenting Experiments

Ryan Hoover on how Product Hunt started: "We called it, not even a side project, we called it an experiment. And that framing I think, is for me, has always been helpful because an experiment is really not about success."

This is the right framing for trying new parenting approaches.

You're not implementing a new bedtime routine. You're experimenting with a new bedtime routine. If it doesn't work? Data. Not failure.

You're not committing to a consequence system. You're experimenting with one. If your kid games it immediately? Interesting. Let's try something else.

"The goal is not success," Ryan says. "It's really to learn and see if people want this thing and then kind of adapt."

When you frame something as your NEW APPROACH, there's pressure for it to work. When you frame it as an experiment, you're just gathering information. The emotional stakes are lower. You're allowed to pivot.

Every parenting expert says "try this." They should say "experiment with this."