THIS Baby and THAT Baby - April 28, 2022 | Kids Out and About Ann Arbor / Detroit <

THIS Baby and THAT Baby

April 28, 2022

Debra Ross

THIS baby is 21, and so is THAT baby.

I had my kids when the internet was still technically a toddler: At the time, you could find lists of things to do on some community websites, but "web calendars" were not yet a thing. I thought there needed to be an easy community one-stop shop to showcase all of the local opportunities and events for kids, teens, and families, so I invented one when I was expecting Ella. KidsOutAndAbout.com launched just after she was born, which was 21 years ago tomorrow.

One of the unexpected benefits of guiding kids to maturity is that they end up teaching you more about the world than you teach them. Ella was... stubborn. Home schooling her was more interesting than fun, because Ella's method was pretty much "learn by fighting": She needed proof of everything and would resist until she was convinced. That was inconvenient, so I often had to remind myself: We WANT her to be this way. The world needs people who think for themselves.

Many of the lessons that raising Ella taught me apply equally well to business success as to life success, and they've been integral to KidsOutAndAbout.com's growth from a local one-person labor of love to a coast-to-coast 20-person labor of love. Some highlights:

  • People act the way they do because they need something. There's no way to get someone to do something that their brain is not ready to process.
  • Young people have ideas, and they're often way more insightful than yours. Listen.
  • A leader figures out how to structure an environment to give people tools and skills they need to do work that matters to them.
  • You expend a lot less energy and get where you're going faster when you joyously sell the journey rather than grimly strap someone into a seat.

The lesson Ella taught me that I most hope she carries with her is this one: As mature as one may be, there's always room to grow. Here's to a future where that never stops—for Ella, and for the rest of us.

Deb