Parenting · by Chiara Romano · 2026-09-15

Can we talk about the underrated side of family for absolute beginners

> Tiny progress is still progress.

That line sounds cheesy, but it got me through the part where kids stopped feeling new.

My current rule is simple: if it takes less than 5 minutes to prepare, I am much more likely to keep doing it.

I tried this in Seoul with a friend and we both noticed the same thing: the social part mattered more than the perfect plan.

Part of me wanted the fancy version with all the tools. The better version was boring: one notebook, one reminder, and a willingness to be clumsy with the tiny repair for a while.

34 sparks · 9 comments

Comments

Gentle Lantern · 11 likes

This is genuinely helpful, thanks for writing it out. The practical constraint is probably the real story.

Chiara Romano · 1 likes

Totally agree, especially for beginners.

Felix Weber · 5 likes

This feels a little overrated to me, even if the intention is good. I learned that one the expensive way.

Hugo Martin · 14 likes

Helpful correction.

Ayesha Khan · 3 likes

Excellent timing; I was just thinking about underrated. This pairs weirdly well with mango sticky rice.

Sanne de Vries · 3 likes

This feels a little overrated to me, even if the intention is good. Honestly, the simplest version wins for me.

Daniel Kiptoo · 2 likes

That is a good question for people with more experience than me. I care less about the perfect answer and more about repeatability.

Isha Menon · 2 likes

Good reminder that boring can be good. This is more useful on a tired rainy evening than on a perfect day.

Noah Miller · 1 likes

Interesting. I would like to see how it changes after 3 months. My friend tried it in Buenos Aires and had the opposite result. I needed this reminder today.