So said the daughter during our nightly telephone conversation. “All I do is nurse, clean up, play games – my children run my life!!”
Well, like any daddy, I wanted to comfort my daughter – and I reminded her of 6AM swim team practices, early morning dance squad practices, games to go to, dance programs, dance practice, plays, church programs, parties, trips, waiting up for her to come home from dates, worries about grades, boyfriends – the list was long!. Ah yes, the good old days.
And then I laughed! It is such a delight to see the famous “mother curse” is working so well!! “Some day you will have a child just like you!” She’s a great mom. And she really does “get it” – a family takes work, kids take work, marriage takes work! But, in the end, when all is said and done – there is a pay-off:
Yes – kids are great; that’s not it!
Yes – husbands are handy, lovable creatures; that’s not it!
Yes – all children have moments of complete adorability; that’s not it!
Yes – there is a special joy in a date night sans kids; that’s not it!
Yes – the array of “firsts” – steps, teeth, roll-overs, smiles, worss . . . are wonderful; that’s not it!
Watching, listening, enjoying your kids experience these joys with THEIR kids, that’s what it is all about! Our legacy as parents, grandparents, and great grandparents – having a hand in the future!
Besides, it just fun to listen to the whining (in a gently way, of course) and reminding them that – in their day – they acted just like their daughters!
And that’s as it should be!
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