A lot of parenting can happen from a tiny house – those abodes under 600 square feet.
Kevin Martin, our divorced Lead Dad of the Week in Durango, Colorado, is a tiny-house dweller, and he loves what it gives him and his twins, now nine. Namely, closeness and no clutter.
It wasn’t always like this. Kevin has worked for all kinds of high-flying tech companies – Pega Systems, Vertex, Teladoc, Microsoft. But it was his experience during and after working at Amazon that most shaped his views on parenting.
On the positive side, Amazon paid for IVF treatments. On the downside, Amazon didn’t encourage men to take parental leave. That wasn’t great for his family or his marriage.
“They started paternity leave six months after my kids were born,” he said. “I had to use my vacation time. My kids didn’t sleep for six months, and I was in a global role where I was working 90 hours a week just to keep things going.”
It put a strain on his marriage. In 2018, he left Amazon and bought a tiny house to travel with his young family. But still it put a strain on his marriage that ended in divorce.
“It’s all part of the story of life,” Kevin said. “I have no ill will toward managers. It comes down to where can organizations be more supportive of their workforce, for men who are parents, for women. It’s about being able to really grow from your experiences and your journeys.”
For Kevin that meant giving up high-profile jobs to take on contract work that allows him to be present for his sons.
“Amazon really strengthened my ability to be forward focused,” Kevin said. “That’s been super important for me with my kids as a single dad. Time is my most important resource. I always wanted to do more, I wanted to learn, so I never self-regulated on that front. Most companies don’t help you self-regulate.”
Given the time zone differences, he said he can work most days from 7am to 3pm and be free when his sons come home from school. When they go to bed, he can work some more. It’s a hustle many Lead Dads know well.
Kevin has two pieces of advice. Make sure you’re the best that you can be at home and at work. And analyze the welcome packet you get on day one. “When I started at all of these companies, they gave me a stress ball,” he said. “The only company I didn’t get one from is Microsoft.”
Welcome, Kevin, to The Company of Dads. Let’s all relieve some stress this week.
