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Parenthood

Dear Friend,

My kids are all crying. You see, my youngest took a snack from my older daughter, who started crying. Then my younger son wanted the snack. My oldest told them all that they should just stop fighting over a silly snack. Then my wife told them they were all going to bed at 7:30 tonight because they were fighting, and she reminded them that they stayed up late the night before. That’s when everybody opened up.

That, my friends, is a typical evening in my house. If you have a bunch of kids, you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you don’t, you’re probably praying for infertility about now.

It can be hard to wax poetically about the joys of parenthood when this is the kind of background noise one writes to. Yet, parenting has its happy times. For me, it’s spending time with each individual child. Getting to know each of them as individuals. And cuddling with them is nice, too.

For me, parenting is an opportunity to save at least four kids from dumb parenting. Which means that I can’t be a dumb parent – a tall order.

What does parenthood mean to you? Were you a parent by choice, by acquiescence or by accident? Did the manner that you started out as a parent effect your experience as a parent? What were your expectations and how has reality compared to them? In what ways has parenthood changed you as a person? How are different than you were before? And if you’re not a parent, how do discussions like this effect your fantasies about becoming one?

I look forward to your thoughts. It’s an important topic!

All the best,

Hugh

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