It’s really about finding our moment as a parent. What I mean by that is the moment that you felt you coming into your own as a parent.
I think my moment came when I could finally swaddle my daughter. That night I comforted my daughter after a long cry. Not me crying. She was crying, but I probably could have cried. Haha. Our daughter woke up crying at 12:30 am. I decided to comfort her without my wife’s help. I swaddled her like a burrito and failed to stop her from crying. I felt frustrated. I had just started a new career, was sleep deprived and the pressure of being a new dad was weighing heavy on me. I also felt helpless that I couldn’t comfort our daughter and help her get back to sleep. Nevertheless, I was determined to hang in there and work through this difficult time with our daughter. My persistence paid off as our daughter finally fell asleep in my arms.
What was your “moment” as a parent? Was it a moment when you could finally do your daughter’s hair or you teaching your son to parallel park? It’s the time that you realize that you can make a difference in this human’s life. We put the pressure on ourselves for being the best that we can be for them.
Especially that time of year that we are in, with the holidays right around the corner. The pressure of getting them what they asked for or getting them what you would like to have. Sometimes the funds are not going to be available, so you have to think tactically on how you provide this joy of gifts for them. You put your student loans on payment hold. You may get that seasonal holiday side job. You may be ashamed to do both, but as you know the sacrifice is real.
The biggest thing that we can do is not to regret “doing those little things” to make our children happy. If you can put off certain expenses to make your kids happy, DO IT! I mean you have to be mindful not to miss important payments to not lose your house, but if you can scale back for a few weeks, it will all be worth it to bring that joy to your child’s heart.
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