ParentSounds FAQ
ParentSounds is a brand new newsletter about staying connected to your hopes, dreams, and ambitions - while also being a loving parent.
Maybe you're considering joining this community, maybe you already joined but still have questions. Maybe you just found our link somewhere and wanted to see what it's about. This post is to tell you more about ParentSounds, how we plan to structure this newsletter, and what you can expect when you SMASH that subscribe button:
First of all, if you haven't visited our About page, take a look. You'll find a bit more information about the whole idea and inspiration behind ParentSounds.
If you've already been on the About page, then hopefully some of what's written there has resonated with you.
Below are a few more questions and answers about who we are and what we're trying to do here. If you want to know anything else, or have any ideas for us to consider for the newsletter, you can reach out to us anytime via email at parentsounds@substack.com.
What kind of a newsletter is this?
ParentSounds is a newsletter about being a person - who also happens to a parent. It's about the interests and callings and creative passions that help parents to stay happy and feel good about ourselves, even as we devote a massive chunk of our lives to being there for our kids. ParentSounds explores the mental and spiritual importance of continuing to do the things we love after we have children, as well as the practical and functional aspects of integrating personal goals and ambitions within different versions of family life.
What type of content should I expect to receive?
Most of our newsletters will be short interviews and profiles of parents involved in different types of artistic, musical, and entrepreneurial activities, either as a hobbies or as their career. Many of our subjects will be parents who currently have small children; other times we might ask parents with older children to share their experiences. Sometimes we might feature a more personal narrative depending on the person and the perspective they would like to share. All of our newsletters will aim to be relatively short, to the point, and respectful of the very limited amount of time that parents have for luxuries like leisure reading.
If I sign up, are you going to spam me?
For the foreseeable future, we'll be sending you one newsletter every two weeks (down the road with more content and capacity, we might look into sending out a new edition of ParentSounds every week). Regardless of the eventual regularity, our goal will always remain the same: quality over quantity. We want ParentSounds to be like that friend you really like, but who you don't see that often, so you never get sick of us, but you're also really excited when we come around.
Who writes ParentSounds?
ParentSounds is written primarily by me, Matthew Buccelli. I've got two small kids and I live in Berlin. The nature of social networks being what it is, many of the first wave of people profiled in ParentSounds will be individuals who are based in my own personal surroundings. With that said, the goal is for ParentSounds to be a global community and we hope to soon feature parents from all over the world. If you'd like to be in ParentSounds, or if you know someone who we should talk to, please reach out! Another way we hope to increase the geographical diversity of this newsletter is to feature guest writers and maybe even eventually bring on some regular contributors who are based in different places. If you're interested in doing a guest post or could see yourself writing for ParentSounds on an ongoing basis, don't be shy! Send us an email and let's talk about it.
Will I get parenting advice here?
It depends what you mean by parenting advice! There's so much great material out there about all of the different aspects of having kids. But whether you're the type of person who consumes a lot of parenting content, a little bit, or not much at all, most of it is focused on the parts of our lives that revolve around the needs of our children (it is parenting content, after all). There's not as much focus around how we, as the parents, can keep everything we care about in balance, continue to make time for our friends and loved ones, and fit our kids into a broader conception of who we are and who we want to be at this point in our lives. ParentSounds is primarily about this second part of what it means to be a parent. Occasionally, we may link to articles and perspectives about the first part — but mostly as it relates to the practical side of how different parents blend personal ambitions and family commitments.
Why focus on parents? Aren't we all supposed to be focused on our kids?
One of the guiding principles of ParentSounds is that a big part of being a positive force for our kids comes from feeling good about ourselves. As parents we give so much time, so much physical and mental energy, to these little humans we love in a way that is so completely new and unique. There's so much to do and so much to learn. We feel on an intuitive level how much our lives have changed - ideally, we embrace it. Ideally, it gives us purpose. But many if not most parents struggle at some point to come up with an updated idea of who we are amidst all of these new responsibilities and priorities. By sharing stories of everyday people taking on ambitious, creative, and fulfilling projects while also having a family, we hope ParentSounds will inspire every parent reading to keep developing and building their own positive sense of self. This is, ultimately, one of the most important things we can do to be at our best for our children.
Thanks for reading. If you haven't yet, we hope you'll subscribe and join our growing community of parents around the world.
We'll be back soon with our first parent profile.
Until then, keep doing what you love, and keep being an amazing parent!