A wise man at a convenience store once told my friend, “You will always be a child until you yourself have children.” My friend brought this anecdote back to our group of friends, partying hard back at the house, and we all laughed it off, despite its prophetic gravitas. My friend had been on a beer run, and the shop keeper had observed my friend, and many others like him (and me) come in and out of the store, all of us simply overgrown children.
I’m a father now almost four years in, and I can truly attest to the truth of that man’s statement. Having children of your own makes you grow up instantly. You understand the true nature of what it means to be an adult; that you are entrusted with another living being, and that that living being depends on you for everything.
For many years, prior to having my own children, I had thought being the “cool uncle” was the closest and best thing I would have to parenthood. That I would be contributing in my own way, helping shape my siblings’ children by extension. Yes, this is true, and aunts and uncles play vital roles in children’s lives, however; most aunts and uncles go home at the end of the day without said niece or nephew to put to bed.
Being a parent is the real thing. There is no other “job” like it. It’s been my most challenging task yet, and I’m only at the front end of it.
I’m not saying anything that every parent doesn’t already know. Being a parent is truly a gift, and each day I thank the universe for receiving this blessing. I am thankful that I have risen to the challenge to be a parent, to be a dad, and most of all, to be a grown up.
◊♦◊
Photo credit: Robert Couse-Baker.