Shrills, screams, laughter, thumps and thuds in our living room….rowdy play at its finest!
I’m an NFL football player!
I’m a WWE wrestler!
I’m a secret spy, hiding from the bad guys!
Sometimes (and I emphasize ‘sometimes’) I’m even a tea party attendant!
It’s one of the greatest blessings of being a dad- I get to wrestle and play, goof around and giggle, tease and tickle!
I don’t always succeed at this, however. Sometimes I lose sight and allow outside circumstances to trump the time I’m given with my kids. Other moments, I get too busy and my schedule becomes packed. And I admit it- it’s all my fault. I don’t always pay attention, I take on extra appointments, and there’s no time left. I’m thankful for grace in moments like this.
I get to be all of these things for my children. What an incredible responsibility! What an amazing task! I have to be honest and say that, for as enjoyable and rewarding as my job is as a family pastor, there is no greater joy than being blind-sided and wrestled to the ground by 4 little boys as I sit on the sofa in my living room on a Saturday afternoon. I can think of nothing more heart-warming than to play tackle in the backyard or sip pretend tea with my little girl at a table thats 5 times smaller than I am.
I don’t want to miss this! Life is too short to be consumed by schedules and deadlines and demands and corporate ladders!
What about you? Have you been feeling pulled in opposing directions? If you’re anything like me, it’s a constant battle! I personally need to force myself to stop and take part in my kid’s lives at times. That’s sad, but I get it. I understand the demand.
But I also understand the reward of disconnecting from work and school to be with my family. I understand the pay-off that comes from a wrestling match with your son on a Saturday morning. Fifty years from now it won’t matter that your boss needed you to work extra hours. That promotion won’t matter either. No one will care about the exuberant skills you possessed, or the way you commanded a board room, or the title you wore like a badge of honor. Nor will they care about the distinguished degrees you earned.
Don’t get me wrong, all of these things hold a place of importance. But they should never hold the HIGHEST place of importance. That place should be held only by the ones who mean the most- your spouse and your children!
As I end this post I realize that I’m pointing into a mirror! So I’m off this weekend to discover my amazing role as an NFL football player, a WWE wrestler and, yes, possibly even a tea party attendant! Who knows….
Question- What do you need to scale back or stop all together in order to take full advantage of being in your children’s lives?
