Oh boy is parenting hard. The overwhelming worry. The crying. Disrupted sleep. Lack of alone time. It’s an all day all life job.
But.
There is something about being a parent that makes every single bit of the good and ugly and hard absolutely worth it.
Something.
Everything.
I watch my boys grow. Crawl. Sit up. Stand. Walk. Climb. Run. Talk. Dance. Smile. Laugh. Be silly. Play. Learn. Fall. Get back up.
Every day is something new. Something incredible. And I get to be in the front row for all of it.
I snuggle my boys close. Smell their necks. Think of how much my parents would adore them. How much I adore them. What they bring to my life.
I spent decades being selfish. And I don’t mean that in a bad way. But I got to pursue my dreams. And be a kid. And not have responsibilities. And be an idiot. For a long time. And maybe you could argue that having kids is selfish. Sure. But it feels like I get the chance to give my boys what my parents gave me. Unconditional love that will never go away and a place with me and mommy where they will always be welcome to be exactly who they are.
I can’t describe the fullness I feel when one of them smiles wide at me. Or laughs full-bellied. Or I just admire how beautiful they are. It’s amazing to me that such creatures can exist in the world.
We’ve had rough times but it only solidifies how committed I am to them and to being the best parent I can be. And that I still have so much to learn and so much to give.
