Parent-scientist
April 16, 2012
One of the things about being a parent is, IME, that it dissolves any lingering conceit that you are actually good at everything you choose to do or must do.
I think this helps you to run a research lab of any appreciable size.
DrugMonkey 
April 16, 2012 at 7:22 am
I see. So you think that those of us who are childless are conceited? hmm?
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April 16, 2012 at 7:30 am
Dude, just because you sucke at parenting doesn’t mean everyone else does.
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April 16, 2012 at 7:32 am
Exactly anon, exactly.
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April 16, 2012 at 7:57 am
Depends on the kid as well. With child 1, we wondered what was wrong with all the other parents out there whose kids were so disruptive. Then we had child 2.
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April 16, 2012 at 7:59 am
Oh yeah — being a parent has definitely been the most humbling experience of my life.
Also parenting really makes it sink in that you are in fact NOT in control over every aspect of your or your kids’ lives; this is a critical lesson for the many control freaks among us scientists…
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April 16, 2012 at 8:42 am
I’ve got a long list of grant and paper rejections that have been plenty helpful in the conceit-quashing department, thanks.
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April 16, 2012 at 10:33 am
GMP, yes definitely. I no longer judge any parents by the actions of their kids. Sometimes, no matter how well you “taught them right” they will act like jerks.
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April 16, 2012 at 11:10 am
I knew they’re had to be a plus-side, other than the pure joy of watching Monkey trash the carpet in our rental while attempting to begin potty training.
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April 16, 2012 at 12:31 pm
Dr. Becca,
It’s not the same. With the rejections, you can always resort to thinking, 1) those reviewers are morons, 2) I should have wrote this section differently, 3) if I only had time to put in more data. With kids, you can only throw your hands in the air, sigh, and learn to live with acceptance.
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April 16, 2012 at 2:23 pm
living with limitations on my work efficiency has been a very hard lesson- forget the part about being good at any of it.
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April 16, 2012 at 5:09 pm
good thing I am awesome at everything!
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April 16, 2012 at 5:20 pm
That is fortunate, indeed, pinus
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April 16, 2012 at 5:28 pm
(I was being sarcastic – I understand your point here)
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April 16, 2012 at 5:54 pm
Oh, good, you mean the lessons I learned from stone cold hauling my toddler through the parking lot after he refused to hold my hand are going to be applicable when I have grad students? I look forward to it, though maybe with a little confusion.
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April 16, 2012 at 6:17 pm
Nobody said anything about “lessons” or “applicable”. This is about acceptance, straight up DJMH.
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April 16, 2012 at 6:18 pm
(and I totally had to potato sack carry a screaming kid in public just today as it happens. Fist bump?)
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April 16, 2012 at 8:39 pm
I’m so awesome at parenting it just makes me more discouraged about how much I suck at science.
And by that, I mean I’m able to be completely deluded about parenting, but not so much about science. I also potato sack carried my child today. My theory: children do not adapt to rapidly warming weather well (or at least, my kid doesn’t. His grandpa doesn’t, so we’ve got someone to blame it on).
But yeah. If you haven’t sucked hard at more things you’ve done, you haven’t done enough interesting things.
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April 17, 2012 at 8:01 am
DJMH: Oh, yes, those lessons very, very, very much applicable to graduate students. Just wait until you haul your first student through preparation for candidacy exams!
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April 17, 2012 at 9:11 am
Just wait until you haul your first student through preparation for candidacy exams!
kicking and screaming?
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April 17, 2012 at 4:59 pm
One exasperated day in TeaHag’s home were heard the immortal phrases:
“HOW many TIMES have you heard me say how frustrating it is when the graduate students don’t even ATTEMPT to answer the questions???”
To which the teenaged F1 mumbled in response, “About a quazillion, yeah I know… you’ll can only score zero when you turn in a blank page”
SO why did you not *$%^& (imagine the rest, it involves some social studies and an exam)???!!!
Life is circular.
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