r/Parents

This time last year I was standing in front of a donation box filling it with toys we had bought over the previous 2 years. Some of them had never been opened. Most of them had been used once. A few of them I genuinely could not remember buying.

I was not buying bad toys. I was buying toys that looked good, had decent reviews, seemed age appropriate. The problem was that none of that actually predicted whether my son would use them beyond the first day.

After that donation run I started paying attention differently. Instead of looking at what other parents were buying I started watching what my son actually went back to on his own. Not what he got excited about when it was new. What he was still using 3 months later without me suggesting it. The list was short. Embarrassingly short given how much we had spent.

What those things had in common was pretty simple. He could use them without me. They never ran out of things to do with them. And they did not break or lose their appeal after a few weeks.

That is basically it. That is the whole test now. Before anything comes into the house I just ask whether it ticks those 3 things. Most of what I used to buy does not. Most of what I buy now does.

Not saying it works for every kid. But after 2 years of getting it wrong it has made a noticeable difference to what actually gets used in our house.

When I was around 10 years old, I became obsessed with owning a franchise.

Not because anyone told me to.
I just got the itch.

I was convinced I was going to open a Boost Juice franchise in Switzerland. I spent an absurd amount of time studying business with no structure, no roadmap, and no idea what questions I should even be asking.

Boost Juice said no. They did not want to expand there.

So I said fine. Forget Boost Juice.

Then I found a franchise website and realized you could franchise almost anything.

That completely changed my world.

I started applying to everything. After a lot of rejection, mostly because of my location, I found a tire franchise and thought: why can’t I sell tires?

I started emailing with the company about opening a new location. Lawyers started getting involved. The number I needed was $120,000.

I asked my dad for the money.

He basically said: you skipped a step. First make the money.

Fair enough.

I kept pushing anyway. Then one of the guys involved, Chris, asked for some personal info and said as long as I was over 18, we’d be fine.

I replied: “Chris, I’m 11.”

He told me they could not do the deal, but said something I still remember clearly:
“Good for you man... hope to talk to you in the future. Please read Rich Dad, Poor Dad.”

That stuck with me.

I stepped away from business for a couple years and focused on snowboarding and hockey.

At 16, I started an import business bringing snowboard gear from Canada to Dubai.

Later I started a wholesale business, then BamBoo Roots, which made bamboo products to replace single-use plastic and grew to a $1M valuation by 22. Around that same age I built an art distribution company to a similar valuation too, along with plenty of smaller wins, mistakes, and lessons.

Now I’m 29. I’ve helped build companies across different industries that have done $80M+ in revenue.

And I still think back to that 10-year-old kid emailing franchise lawyers.

Because I genuinely wonder what would have happened if that early curiosity had been shut down.

My parents did something right:
They did not shame ambition.
They did not tell me I was too young.
They were honest when something was unrealistic, but they always encouraged me to keep going.

That is exactly why I’m launching Foundra Kids.

Because when a kid asks:
“How do I start a t-shirt brand?”
or
“Why did Jimmy’s lemonade stand make no money?”
that curiosity should not die.

It should be guided.

Foundra Kids is about giving young builders a place to ask big questions, get useful feedback, and stay excited about creating.

And honestly, I think a lot of parents will learn something from it too.

I’m curious about the things that aren’t usually talked about, not the obvious stuff everyone already knows

The small, unexpected parts that catch people off guard once they actually experience it

What’s something you wish someone had told you before becoming a parent?
What surprised you the most?

I find it ironic how i would absolutely die for my mother but would rather die than tell her my insecurities and stuff that had/still make me upset. Like wow woman i love you a lot may the lord keep you safe for us and you never see a bad day in your whole life but please don’t know anything that would be a bullet to use later

I recently came across a company that helps students graduate early and they have a bunch of testimonials from students who've graduated from at least 1 semester early to up to 4 semesters early, and I just wanted to hear anyone else's thoughts?

Cause initially I'm thinking $500/year isn't a lot compared to how much I'm paying for my kids tuition. He's going to USC and it's nearly $75,000 per year so saving him one semester would save me $37,500.

Just wanted to come on here and see if any other parents see it the same way?

Im just wondering if anyone here give ur kid?I often give my kids and turn out read that is not recommended bcause has high risk for e coli.im in fear now.

my husband booked us a trip to Miami for next month without really thinking about the fact that our daughter is 18 months old and thinks restaurants are prisons. Im grateful dont get me wrong but Im already having anxiety about every single meal.every time I try to look up family friendly places I get either (a) chain restaurants we have at home which defeats the whole point of traveling or (b) these super trendy spots that look amazing but have zero mention of high chairs or kids menus and I just know Ill spend the whole time trying to keep her from throwing a salt shaker at a influencer taking pictures of her avocado toast.

Im not looking for a playground disguised as a restaurant. I just want somewhere with outdoor seating where she can wiggle a little without bothering everyone, food that comes out fast, and staff who wont roll their eyes when I ask for a plastic cup with a lid.Someone told me to check out Coconut Grove instead of staying near South Beach the whole time. And I saw a place called glass and vine thats actually inside a park which sounds genius because she can run around after eating instead of me trying to wrestle her back into a stroller.

Has anyone been there with a small kid? Is it as chill as it sounds or am I setting myself up for failure?

Also open to any other Miami spots that wont make me feel like a terrible mom for existing in public with a toddler. Bonus points if they have changing tables that arent in the bathroom hallway.Thx guys and ladies

I clean when my boys are gone to daycare and nap when my little one is down , I'm off work at the moment and looking to go back to work In June with my current employer. We have 3 boys so house always needs cleaned but our newborn loves to sleep and gets fed every 3-4 hour's so I'm trying to find stuff to do and not just clean , and nap.

what are some thing's you enjoy doing? while your kids are at daycare / school my partner works seasonal and will be going back to work monday. 🙌🙃

I tried giving him toys, showing him how to sit, cheer when he does sit for a few seconds, but ultimately he rather try to crawl over sitting. Any helpful advice is appreciated

Now I know this may be unpopular but it’s with good intention, sometimes you never know what’s going on at school that your kids experience, whether it be bullying, SA, verbal/physical abuse, or any kinda of mistreatment or trauma of some sort… the school system and employees don’t care about our kids the way we do yet we’re required to send them to a environment where they should be protected but it’s in fact in most cases the opposite where they’re instead vulnerable. My kids don’t like school and always say they wanna stay but we ask questions if anything is going on and they say “no” but I’m afraid something is actually going on and they’re being threatened to not say anything or they may feel nothing will get done… can I get some thoughts on this? I plan to get them homeschooled next year to hopefully help alleviate their unwillingness to be at school

I am a 29 year old male and I have an 8 year old son who I am pretty hard on. I expect a lot out of him and I don't think he's currently strong enough to handle those expectations. He deals with things that most other kids don't that he can't control. he has a microdeletion of one of his chromosomes that causes delays in learning and things like that. it gave him a vsd that he needed to have surgically repaired at 5 weeks old (irrelevent now as hes perfectly healthy). He is in the 3rd and 5th percentile as far as height and weight goes. Super small for his age which affects his abilities in sports like football and basketball. He struggles at baseball as well. His hands are legit to small to close his glove and he doesn't hit well. When I say I'm hard on him I mean in other ways. I don't care if hes not good at sports. It doesn't bother me at all. What bothers me is when he goofs around or isn't trying his best.

There is one "sport" hes pretty good at and thats jiu jitsu. He received his grey belt around Christmas and is constantly praised by his teachers and other parents who see him work. To me this comes with certain expectations. I expect him to he good and pay attention in class. I expect him to be a role model as the younger kids look up to him. He has these class clown moments that piss me off. He'll sometimes struggle against kids that he should respectfully demolish. He forgets simple techniques (kimura, armbar) that he learned years ago leaving him unable to finish from the top. Hes began doing the rnc wrong even though its always been his best sub. I expect him to perform at a level that I know he is capable of and when he falls under it it makes me mad. I threaten to take his playstation and ipad. I tell him that he needs to learn and remember these things. I've used words like embarrassing to describe his performance. This was what I said to him yesterday after struggling against a kid who had only been there 2 weeks.

He broke down at home crying uncontrollably for a few minutes. I tell him I love him constantly. 10-15x a day. He has a good life. Hes got great family and friends, his ps5 and ipad, he loves sports and being active. We don't ground him. I no longer smack him which rarely ever happened at all to begin with. I only know what I know. How I grew up. My dad was hard on me. He would ground me, hit me, and love him. He always told me he loved me and he mostly was a good dad. He was also a violent man with a temper. I loved him and was terrified of him. I could barely do right in his eyes. I know he just wanted me to be tough and be a better man. This is a mans world. we're expected to be strong. I don't want to raise my son to be a whiny little girl.

I'm a lot like my father. I have a very short temple, and I can be violent (not physically to other people). I'm hateful, mean, and I yell a lot. I treat my wife poorly a lot and he sees and hears that. This is all I know. The cycle continues and I dont know how to be different. I'm worried he no longer loves doing certain activities because hes worried its always gonna end with me mad at him. I tell him not to be like me which is crazy i guess. I want him to be better than me. Sometimes I feel like I am broken. The traumatic experiences from my childhood have fucked me up. I know its not an excuse but Im not strong enough to change it. I hear him be mean and disrespectful sometimes. All this he learns from me. Hes also sweet and caring. This from his mother.

I feel like I said so much and yet so little but Im not great at organizing my thought. i love my boy to death and I want him to be the best he can be. I just dont think he can handle the way I go about it. I ended up estranged from my dad mostly and lost the love and respect I had for him. It would kill me to end up in the same place with my son. i don't know why I'm so miserable and hateful. i volunteer to coach football baseball and basketball. Parents love me and talk about how I do great work for these league and for the kids. People think im a great husband and father and I dont know if I am. The cycle continues