Becoming a parent is a life-changing experience, but for young working parents, it often comes with an added challenge – finding the right balance between their professional and personal lives. The sleepless nights, the constant juggling, and the guilt of not being fully present in either role can be overwhelming.
A Bengaluru-based couple, Puneet Manuja and Richa, co-founders of the mental health platform YourDOST, recently shared their journey of tackling the challenges of parenthood and entrepreneurship in a heartfelt LinkedIn post.
Puneet began his post by describing how their lives took a dramatic turn after welcoming their son Rudra. While working together worked for them, the arrival of their baby brought a new level of complexity to their already busy lives.
“Running a company together while raising our newborn was overwhelming. Sleepless nights turn into long workdays. The guilt of not being able to give our 100% to either role was (and is) real. Some days, we questioned if we were doing enough as parents or as leaders.”
However, they didn’t let the challenges stop them. Instead, they leaned on their support systems – family, their team, and even the mental health services offered by their own platform – to make it work.
One practical solution came from a friend, Siddharth, who suggested they bring their son to work, a solution he had used while running his own company. Taking the advice, Puneet and Richa started integrating Rudra into their work environment.
“That was probably one of the most effective things we have done. Today, our son is 1.5 years old, and YourDOST continues to grow. The journey wasn’t easy, but it has taught us resilience, empathy, and the importance of asking for help.”
Puneet shared a screenshot of a message that they sent to their company’s WhatsApp group. The message contains a picture of the child along with a note that informed their colleagues of the presence of Rudra inside the office and assured them that they could raise any concerns about their son’s presence without hesitation.
Have a look at the full post here:
The challenges of parenthood are universal and finding ways to adapt to the new change can make the journey a little easier.