School Bells Ring, It Must be Christmas

As Summer '06 draws to a close many households like mine are squeezing out every last bit of fun before school starts. We are keeping our boys home from day camp for the last full week of summer. This decision is partially practical (their day camp is only open for the first half of the week), but I think that there's a bit of nostalgia in it also. My memories of summer as a kid took place at home, not shuttling to or from camp. So I can at least offer the kids a little taste of what I remember by giving them a week to sleep in, roam around the house and scrape up a knee or elbow playing baseball in the street.

However, after I've sent the kids outside to play I make my way up to the office where Christmas is in full swing. Lately I've been consumed with all things Christmas. Of course, that's Christmas through the eye of a game publisher. Rather than thinking about presents and trees, I've been spending my time finishing production runs, planning order fulfillment and PR campaigns.

Having spent the first 15 years of my professional career working in a non-seasonal industry, I still have to make a conscious effort to start my Christmas planning in August. Of course, I actually started planning for this Christmas last August when the planning for our new game line began. The calendar for consumer products is certainly one with many different twists and turns. For example, the mass market retailers start their Christmas buying 14 months prior to holiday, while smaller independent stores buy as late at September or October. Catalogs? Their deadline is in March. And then there's the media, with magazines starting work on their Holiday issues in the spring, while daily newspapers can still be writing gift guides in mid December.

All of this can keep the head of a game entrepreneur spinning like a top!

Starting a Company While Raising a Family

When I decided to start On The Spot Games, one of the first thoughts that came to mind was the impact it would have on my family. While I was prepared for changes and challenges that accompany the start of a company, what frightened me most was the impact on my wife and our two sons. There aren't many business books that deal with that.

Time management and finances are the two areas that require the most attention. We are fortunate that my wife has a good job as a programmer with great benefits. While the basics are covered, many of the "luxuries" we had become accustomed to have been put off for a while. No air travel to visit family on the East Coast this summer and ski lessons for the boys have been put off for a couple of years. Sacrifices such as these are easy to identify and rationalize.

Things get tricky when time management enters the picture. Working from home, my work calendar and family calendar invariably become intertwined. Both are very fluid and I'm constantly shifting my workload and family responsibilities to address the hot issues of the moment.

It's most interesting to watch TJ and Jason (age 8) react to the changes they see taking place. I make it a point to explain business developments to them in terms that they can understand so that there is a story to go along with the changes that they see going on around them. For example, when I received my first shipment of games from China we got out the map and traced the journey from the factory to our garage. That's a pretty straight forward example, but try explaining what a trade show is to an inquisitive 8-year old. I believe the Q&A lasted about 3 days on that topic!

At the end of the day, whether my company succeeds or fails I want my boys to understand what I did and why I did it. It's important to me that they appreciate success and the hard work necessary to achieve it. Conversely, if I fail (hah!) they should realize that it doesn't mean it wasn't worth trying.

Writing from Vegas
I'm in Las Vegas this week for a trade show to roll out On the Spot Games new product line. Walking the streets after the show, I've noticed that a fair number of families still choose to bring their kids with them when vacationing here. I find this quite odd. Not only has the city banned its "Family Friendly" campaign, but its current campaign "What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas" seems to me to scream the exact opposite message; KEEP THE KIDS HOME!!! Parents are either ignoring the message or putting their own interest to gamble and see shows ahead of those of their kids.

I haven't had much time to look into kid-friendly activities here, but I'm sure there are plenty to be found (last I checked, my kids could easily spend a month straight playing in a pool.) But it's all the other stuff around this town that assaults your senses that concerns me. Walking down the strip after dark you are bombarded with sexy images and messages. But if you come, don't pay too much attention to the ads or you may trip over a drunk toating a 3 foot margherita glass or (unfortunately) a kid in a stroller.

Staying put in your hotel is not too safe either, when it comes to kids. Of course, most of the bigger hotels around a casino. And smoking is everywhere - cough.

I think exposing kids to this kind of stimuli is horrible. I've often observed that some parents rationalize such action because little ones don't comprehend what's going on and therefore it can't do them any harm. Bull Hockey! No matter how young kids are much more in tune with their surroundings than many parents give them credit for. While little ones may not be able to understand exactly what it is they are seeing, they are absorbing all sorts of messages that will stick with them for a long time. I have my own theory that young children between the ages of 2 and 5 absorb provocative images and allow them to "simmer" for days, weeks or even months. When you least expect it, the memory will pop out from them in the form of a question (if your lucky) or an action (if you are not) which is influenced by the original scene.

Obvious examples of such incidents that come to mind include seeing parents yelling or witnessing some type of violent act. But more subtle situations might include a billboard of a sexy model or simply walking past someone smoking a cigarette.

Such scenes can send kids off in a direction that you don't agree with and before you know it, they act and you are aghast at what your little angel just did/said. By reflex you move in to correct this "unexplained" behavior. The result is a confused little one and a parent who has some work to do to bring him in for a safe landing.

The bottom line here is to pay attention your kids are experiencing and develop a knack to see things as they would. Doing so may save you both a load of grief down the road.

The Debunking of "The Dog Ate My Homework" Defense

OK kiddies listen up. When it comes to making excuses, don't look to grownups for a good example. As we've heard this week from Floyd Landis, he has resorted to the pro athlete's version of every students' "Hail Mary" in defending himself from a damning testosterone test by blaming a few drinks with his teammates for spiking his testosterone levels. His lawyer got into the act too with some blathering about dehydration.

These latest developments certainly are weighing on my as I consider what role sports should play in my boys' lives. In the last year, that have completely immersed themselves in sport, both as players and fans. While I am tickled pink in this development because it gives us something to share as a family, it certainly raises some parenting challenges.

I had decided a few years ago not to plunge them into organized sports. My thinking at the time was to avoid draining the fun out of the game (whatever game) by subjecting them to the seemingly endless waiting and dead time that I had heard about from other dads. My preference was for them to develop a love for playing first that would then give them the motivation to embrace organized sports on their own. They were only introduced to organized sport last year at age 7, when they played soccer for the first time. At first they were very confused on the field and were more likely to stand next to a teammate and cheer for him than trying to kick the ball.

Sports love is in full bloom this summer as they are attending YMCA sports camps in rapid (and rabid) succession. A week of tennis was followed by soccer. We are currently at the end of baseball week, which will be followed by flag football. I really like what I am seeing from this experience, which is play for play's sake along with the lessons of winning, losing and sportsmanship. - My son Jason came home from his first day of baseball with a long face after his batting privileges for the day were revoked for poor sportsmanship. He seemed pretty humiliated by the experience, so I assumed he learned his lesson and didn't press him for details. His brother wished I had, of course. - Having learned the lessons presented to them this summer, I think it will be easier to make the choices for future participation in organized sports.

The role of being a sports fan is becoming a tricky one to teach, though. As the boys learn more about the various games and the rules of play, their questions inevitably turn to some of the more subtle nuances of the games they watch. Like "Dad, why did Ichiro try to make an out on that play?" or "Dad, what does it mean when Floyd's testosterone-epitestosterone ratio is 11 to 1 when its supposed to be 2 to 1?"