Over My Dad Body

Dear parents,

When I first had my daughter, everyone talked about the challenges: the sleepless nights with a crying baby, the constant struggle to put and keep a toddler in bed, and the financial strain of caring for a child.

Inevitably, you’ll take days off from work to nurse your sick child, the hours spent helping with homework, the perpetually messy house, three-hour meals, and the expenses of school clothes and packed lunches.

Yet, amidst the chaos, you’ll witness the sheer joy in your little one’s eyes on Christmas morning, and believe me, you’ll try to capture and keep the enchantment of those brief moments.

You’ll find yourself encouraging them in their interests, shuttling between rehearsals and performances, and traversing heavy traffic just so they can pursue their passions, no matter how tiring or costly it becomes.

Suddenly, life becomes too frantic that you seldom have the chance to bask in the magic of those moments. You’re thinking that you probably have a good 18-20 years to let it all soak in.

That seems like an eternity…

Yet, in the blink of an eye, the little person who once crawled into your bed for cuddles and Saturday morning cartoons transforms into a young adult, giving you rushed “huggie-wuggies” as they come and go.

Your once bustling household, filled with laughter and chaos, gives way to silence and solitude.

Through the years, you’ve mastered the art of caring for a child who relies on you for protection, but the idea of “letting go” remains elusive.

You try to hold onto them, grappling with the swiftness of time and the guilt of potentially missing out on what’s important. Despite the years you’ve spent together, it never feels enough.

Questions flood your mind:

Did you impart the right lessons? Read enough bedtime stories? Spend sufficient quality time? How many school events did I miss? What could I have done better?

But when it’s time for them to go on their own journey, the weight of reality hits you like a ton of bricks. All you can do is pray, hope, and trust that you have equipped them well for the world.

Parenting will always be the most exciting ride you’ll ever have, regardless of its exhilarating highs and heartbreaking lows. But one thing is certain: there is never enough time.

So, to all the parents grappling with the madness of raising their children, soak it all in.

Because one day, those days of rehearsals, long dinners, snuggles, Saturday morning cartoons, and magical Christmas mornings will come to an end.

Hopefully, when that moment arrives, you’ll look back and know that you did and loved them enough. So that when your child spreads their wings, they’ll fly.

Sincerely,

A Father Who’s Been There