A simple observation

At least four days a week, I leave the house for almost twelve hours. Those twelve hours are mine, sure they belong to my employer but they feel more like me time. If you think working with an egomaniac client or a demanding boss is hard, try raising a child. Nothing will prepare you better for the work place than raising children. The pace is non-stop. The work is tedious. It is humbling and emotional.

The worst moments are when you break. It is almost always over something benign, like when a child demands the pink cup instead of the yellow one. Suddenly, I've found myself screaming at my kids until they are all crying. Those are surely the worst moments.

But the best moments are simple. They happen more frequently than I realized when I was the stay-at-home dad.  It is hard to see them when you are in the throes of life.  But just watching a child's amazing curiosity over a rock or their enjoyment of simply being. My favorite part of the day is sitting outside with Emma in my arms watching Maggie and Henry run around.  Emma is my little observer, she enjoys watching her siblings with me.When she is not watching, she is climbing.  It's amazing how much joy she gets from her accomplishment. It's these moments that are easy to miss, when there is always something else that needs to be done but I've never regretted spending time with my kids, free from distraction and just learning to enjoy being.