The other day my daughter and I took the dog for a walk around the block. The sun was shining, the air was warm, the birds were singing. The dog was trotting peacefully at my side as my daughter slipped her sweet little hand in mine. As we walked along I thought to myself - "I have to remember this moment, this is perfection." There was no where else I wanted to be; it was a magical moment of connection with this little girl at my side. She pranced along beside me sharing her stream of consciousness with me. She had me jumping over every crack with her and would giggle joyfully after each successful leap. This was a snapshot to savour, and as we meandered around the block I kept thinking how I would need to bottle up this memory to bring out when I was feeling the stresses of being a parent.
Of course, the inevitable happened and by the time we were halfway around the block my daughter was getting bored. She wanted to jump off the neighbour's culverts, she stalled to investigate every little pebble and leaf; she whined about being tired and wanting to be carried. The dog pulled on the leash as my daughter put on the brakes and I found myself literally being pulled in two directions.
This is the reality of life as a parent. Most of the time parenting is physical and mental work - a true labour of love. We develop skills to rival the best referees, judges and hostage negotiators. The task of keeping expectations consistent and keeping the kids heading in the right direction can get very frustrating and exhausting.
But its those glowing little moments that make it all worthwhile. My sister once told me that parenting is 90% work and 10% joy but the 10% joy makes up for everything else. As I think back to that moment with a happy little hand in mine I realize my sister is pretty wise.
Oops, gotta go, time to go negotiate an arms treaty...
