Savor Those Horsey Rides

Parenthood is baffling. One minute, your kids say or do something that convinces you they’re angels straight from heaven. The next, they say or do something that makes you envious of species that eat their own young. It’s like being on a rollercoaster—a bruising ride, but worth the price of admission to the park.

I have five kids. Yes, FIVE! My daughter is seven. My four boys are ages 5, 3, and 8-month-old twins. Before parenthood, my wife and I used to be intellectuals. We carried on intelligent conversations, had opinions about current events, and interacted socially with other adults. Today, we have three functioning brain cells between us. (Two of them belong to her.) We haven’t seen a movie that doesn’t feature a talking car, singing mermaid, or Miley Cyrus in nearly eight years. Just the other day, I found myself still watching an episode of Dragon Tales 15 minutes after my 3-year-old had left the room because I actually cared how it turned out! Worst of all, I’ve had Barney the Dinosaur’s “I Love You, You Love Me” song ringing in my head for over half a decade now. Sound sad? It is. But that’s life when you’ve got small kids.

Yet, despite the brain-numbing, non-stop exhaustion, I LOVE BEING A DAD! It’s challenging, but also incredibly rewarding. The feel of a tiny hug or the sound of an “I love you, Daddy,” makes it all worthwhile. Whenever I think I can’t give one more “horsey ride” or read Curious George for the tenth night in a row, I remember that the day will soon come when my kids no longer want to spend that much time with me. Before I know it, I’ll be replaced by their peers and find myself looking back and thinking, “Man! Where did the years go?”

As parents, we have an all-too-narrow window in which our kids actually want to be with us. If we’re not careful, we can become so consumed with daily concerns (financial security, paying bills, saving for college, amassing material things, advancing in our careers, and so on) that we miss the sound of that little voice saying, “Play with me, Daddy,” or “Look at the picture I drew, Mommy.”

So don’t be one of those parents who are so busy providing for their children’s future that they miss out on experiencing their children’s present. Instead, slow down, close the laptop, turn off the smart phone, and savor some time with your kids today. After all, before you know it, the last thing your kids will want to do is hang out with you. So enjoy the time you’ve got. Trust me, 20 years from now your kids won’t remember, nor will they care, what you bought them or how much money you made. But they will remember those horsey rides and the few hundred times you read Curious George.