Parenting is the hardest and greatest job that I have had.
It presents the thorniest problems and generates the greatest rewards.
We had the pleasure of spending most of yesterday with our three kids and their significant others.
The occasion was our oldest daughter’s masters thesis presentation at her MFA program.
She is an artist who works with computer generated imagery and animation.
The work she made for her thesis was a five to seven minute animation loop and I probably watched it five or six times yesterday afternoon.
It was the first time I had seen it and I was amazed at its beauty, its quality, and the emotions it conveyed.
Needless to say, I am proud of her and also all of the other artists that showed their work alongside her.
We then spent the rest of the afternoon with our other kids hanging out and having fun with them.
Then we all got together for a late (for me) dinner that was celebratory and fun.
As the dinner ended, I sided up next to The Gotham Gal, put my arm around her, and said “that was a good parenting day.”
She looked at me and smiled.
I have loved all of parenting; rocking them to bed, the late feedings, changing the diapers, teaching them things, family vacations, the teenage years, leaving home, the college years, and the early adult years.
As I write those things, I also recall the challenges of each of them and the moments where we did not know what to do in certain situations.
But we figured it out and got through it and moved on to the next stage.
We certainly got better at it over time but we have never felt that we have parenting figured out.
Now we are in the phase where our kids are adults and accomplishing things that amaze and impress us.
They understand things we don’t understand, they do things we can’t do, and they are having successes that we have little part in.
That makes me feel so good.
I don’t believe our work is done. I believe we will be parenting for as long as we live.
But I do believe that the work is easier and the gains are richer.
But most of all I am reminded that our best work is done at home and the fruits of it are measured in joy.
