Parenthood and community management. Who could possibly imagine they’d have so much in common? Surprisingly enough, being a parent and managing communities is almost the same. Here, we’ve taken a light-hearted look at a list of things we feel especially stand out.

1. Someone is always shouting, crying or whinging

The more quickly you can identify the cause of the commotion and turn the situation around, the better it is for everyone.  The crying is not always from your community.  It’s perfectly normal to throw a wobbly out of sight when no one’s looking. Right?

2. You do not have all of the answers 

You never will.  That is perfectly fine.  A positive attitude and a willingness to learn will get you much further. It is always more exciting to explore things together and share the discovery and the joy of finding out.

3. You spend a lot of time talking without being heard 

You bust a gut creating awesomeness and it ends up falling flat. Often, you find yourself repeating the same things over and over again. Mantras like ‘don’t put that in there’ or ‘please log on at 8pm’.  Either way, you’re lucky if half of your audience is paying attention a quarter of the time.

4. You experience ‘Did that just happen?’ moments

You will often question your own sanity. Horse meat is found in burgers, a youngster puts the cat in the washing machine, a customer service agent slaps a customer, a toddler twerking.  You just never know what you may see from one day to the next.

5. Someone always has an urgent need 

Potty! I can’t post my photo! My password won’t work! Milk on the floor!  It seems like everyone around you needs something right now, they can’t do it themselves and they need you to make it happen. The ability to multitask is a true virtue!

6. They can smell fear

Don’t ever let kids or people on the other side of your screen see you panic, they will rip you apart.  Keeping your cool is essential to both parenting and community management.

7. You learn as much as you teach

Communities and children have a remarkable way of turning their teacher into the student. Being surrounded by vibrant people, be it your kids or your community, you will find yourself learning fantastic new things every day.

8. It’s not a job, it’s a lifestyle 

You love what you do. You think about it all the time, you talk about it to anyone who listens, and you keep going back for more. Even in the toughest, most stressful moments, you know you wouldn’t change what you’re doing for anything else. Well, except maybe grabbing a quick nap…