Family Business

By Troy Flint

Growing up, a sharp line separated “grown folks’ business” and kid activities. There was occasional overlap, but for the most part, adults and children occupied different orbits around the same familial planet. Information for children was on a “need to know” basis and adult affairs (the business kind) were conducted in mystery and sealed with a code of silence.

As a parent, I’ve tried to blur the lines between grown folks’ business and the world of children. I spare them the gory (or embarrassing details) most of the time, but try to give them a window into what I’m doing and why. Fortunately, the last year provided a unique opportunity to bring my now 4-year old daughter (and my almost 1-year old son) into a new part of my world. The shared experience brought us closer together and crated a template for how I can pursue my interests while developing those of my children.

Last February, I decided to dive headfirst into presidential politics as a volunteer. I’ve been something of a political junkie since I was young and have worked in public interest and public advocacy roles for the last 15 years. But when it came to campaign politics, I had mostly confined my support to local and state politicians – people I actually knew in races on a scale I could wrap my head around.  That changed when I decided to take the plunge for Elizabeth Warren’s recently ended presidential campaign (now supporting Bernie if you’re wondering).

I hadn’t really pursued any hobbies since we had kids, unless you considering reading, listening to music, or scrolling through Twitter in bed “hobbies.” There just didn’t seem to be enough time. So, the questions was how I would accommodate this new endeavor with work, parental responsibilities and whatever else life threw my way.

For once, I decided to not overthink it. I figured if I just moved in the right direction and tried to meet the magnitude of the moment, things would work themselves out (insert anxiety face emoji here). I dipped my toe in the water by hosting a gathering at my house for people who were interested in the candidate. My daughter was there and took an interest and the meeting went well. Soon, I was contacted by the local volunteer arm of the campaign and asked to contribute more.

Eventually, that one house party led to a couple meetings a week, phone banking, knocking doors almost every weekend, managing social media accounts, planting yard signs, delivering fliers, and assorted other tasks. Right there by my side were my daughter, “O”, and my son “M”. Actually, M was in a baby carrier most of the time.

Since my wife works evenings and weekends, the kids went where I went. It was like a G-rated buddy movie. We got to explore new neighborhoods, talk to people of all descriptions from every part of town and to see our own neighborhood with new eyes. It deepened my connection to the city and to my family. It soon got to the point where my daughter would pout if there was no meeting to go to when I got home from work. It’s fun to think that she engaged in civic life more fully at her age than many people do in their entire lives.

The best part of the whole experience was realizing there doesn’t need to be a wall between personal activities that I find fulfilling and quality time with my children. Sure, it’s a lot more work to incorporate your children in your hobbies (and requires a lot more snacks), but it’s completely worth it. The campaign didn’t end like I hoped, but I will always look on it fondly for the memories it created and how it taught me that sometimes grown folks’ business is just family business.