David Tejtel, a corporate litigator by day and children’s game creator by night, is our Lead Dad of the Week.
Dave lives in Katonah, N.Y. with his wife and three kids – 8, 6, and 4. He began his career at large legal firms in New York City before striking out on his own in 2014 with a different idea on how he was going to work and live. “We were decentralized before the pandemic,” he said of his firm where he works in an office minutes from his home.
But it is the work he’s done with his sister Anne Claire, a teacher, that got him this mention. They created My Virtuous Quest, a board game that encourages children to work toward earning badges for virtues like compassion, generosity or courage. “I was legitimately concerned about my kids’ values,” he said. “Software engineers are selling to our kids. How do I at least give my kids the tool necessarily to see through that?”
When kids earn 10 badges in a category, they get to pick a prize – an adventure their parents devise. That’s the part that pushes parents to be creative but also forces them to do something different together. “The most memorable one for me was the first one for my daughter Zoe,” he said. “She loves boats, wearing princess dresses, blowing bubbles and eating ice cream sandwiches. I found a buddy who had a rowboat behind his house, and we went out in that.”
Welcome Dave to The Company of Dads.
