Dads in the Limelight
Our 367th Dad in the Limelight is Eugene Murphy of Tweekapoo. I want to thank Eugene for being a part of the Dads in the Limelight series. It has been great getting connected with him and now sharing him with all of you.
1) Tell me about yourself, (as well as how you are in the limelight for my readers knowledge)
Hi my name is Eugene Murphy. I’m the Founder & CEO of Tweekaboo (a tech startup), a lucky husband and a very proud dad of 4.
2) Tell me about your family
I’m married to Caroline and we have 2 boys and 2 girls. Life with 4 kids is all consuming and pretty crazy – all of the time! We’re very lucky as the kids are all pretty close in age and are the best of buds – most of the time! At this stage, they are pretty much a self contained “permanent play date” which is cool as they are starting to entertain themselves more and more which is finally freeing Caroline and I up – some of the time!
3) What has been the largest challenge you have had in being a father?
I think for me the biggest challenge I face as a parent is time. There’s never enough of it. Mind you – doing a startup with 4 kids doesn’t make this any easier! It’s almost impossible to get the balance right between work and family and I feel like I constantly fall short of the mark.
4) What advice would you give to other fathers?
- Mom is always right!
- From my experience – kids are happiest doing the basic things such as washing the car, digging in the garden, brushing your hair (even if there’s hardly any left!) or playing in a large cardboard box. These are the moments that really matter. Getting back to basics and playing with your kids in the same way you played yourself as a kid has given me some of the best experiences I have had as a parent.
5) Seeing that you (or your position) are in the limelight, how have you come to balance parenthood and outside life? If you are currently not in the limelight per se, please still answer this in regards to how you balance parenthood and outside life.
Making the most of the time you spend with your kids is key. I’ve been traveling a bit lately too which is hard, but (pardon the shameless plug!) using Facetime and apps like Tweekaboo to keep up to date with what my kids are up to while I’m away from home is a huge help. Also – with 4 young kids it’s hard to give them all enough time when they are all around. A good trick is to schedule some one-on-one time with each of them on their own. They absolutely love the one on one and whether it’s once a day, once a week or once a month, it’s a fantastic time for both of us. My particular favorite is taking my little girls on a daddy daughter dinner date or making something in the garage with the boys.
6) What have you learned from the fathers that you have interacted with?
Dads everywhere are pretty much the same. In fact, parents are the same everywhere I go. We’re all in the same whitewater raft! And a bit like whitewater rafting, it’s can be scary as hell, it flies by in a shot and when you do get past the rapids you realize it’s one of the best experiences you’ll ever have.
7) What else would you share regarding your experiences as a father thus far?
You will generally never outsmart your youngest daughter – especially when she has learned all her tricks from 3 elder siblings! Do start saving for college 🙂 Mom is always right when it comes to the kids and buy your kids a balance bike. No more stabilizers! It’s amazingly cool to see how quickly they get the hang of it.
8) What have been the most memorable experiences that you have had thus far as a parent?
The labor ward x 4! Generally realizing that your kids are the most amazing people you will ever get to meet. The one thing I realized quickly was that every day there are moments that deserve to be preserved. First smiles, first hearty laugh, first steps, the first time riding a bike, first football game, first goal, first ballet performance, first tooth falling out… the list is endless and the moments fly by. That’s the reason I set up Tweekaboo. I needed an easy way to hold onto the memories so that in years to come I can tell my kids exactly how cool they were when they were too young to remember.
If you have any questions for Eugene, please leave a comment here and I will make sure that he gets them so that he may be able to respond!
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