The things kids remember right?  One day, when my oldest daughter Riley is older she’ll remember this day as when she first started to really learn how to ride a bike.  And she’ll remember who was there by her side, literally and figuratively pushing her along until she was able to move on her own.  This is what matters.  It’s also what I have to keep reminding myself.  These memories have a longer lasting effect than the frustration I may have with a colleague the incremental effort I can put into getting a project just right…

Time is a valuable commodity, primarily because it’s limited.  So we’d better use it wisely because once it’s gone, it’s gone.  And we’ll be left to live with the fruit of however we spent it.

This past weekend my wife and I took our daughters to the park.  Actually, the past few weekends since it’s been gorgeous weather we have taken time to go to the park.  Why do I mention this?  Well, as we’ve both gotten busier one of the things we’ve realized is how important it is to prioritize moments like these.  Yesterday, after coming home from work I went outside with my girls and just enjoyed playing in the front yard for a half hour.  Sure, there was plenty of work to be done still and yet, I know that if I don’t commit consistent time to them now, I’ll pay for it later in the form of shallow relationships.

So, we spend time doing things like playing in the hall way.  It’s the most relaxing thing to do at the end of a long day.  Fathers, you should try it sometime with your kids!

Or, I take off work so that I can chaperone a class field trip to the Aquarium.

Either way, it’s about finding the energy at the end of along day to do something that matters with my family.  It’s funny what kids remember.  Growing up, apparently we used to call my grandparents every Sunday (or so my father tells me).  That I don’t remember.  What I do remember is having to learn how to ride my bike on my own because he wasn’t there.