Life On A B-I7

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A Year of Living Thoughtfully 08/23/24



Day #339


Am I a good father? I suspect not. How does one know? Obviously, ask your children…

But, will they tell you? Therein lies the rub. If I were to rely on my own analysis, it would go something like this.

Yes, and no.

Big surprise. I think probably more “no” than “yes.” How many of us can say, without hesitation, honestly, that we have been great parents. Ultimately parenting comes down to love, guidance and example. I have tried to be a good example for my children when they were in my presence, occasionally even when they weren’t. I can’t be the judge of how well I did at that.

Bottom line, I tried, but I think I could have done better. This is an attempt to tell myself it’s not too late to try a bit harder.

Only those we are responsible for can make that call. Its likely we’ll never know the answer, because they might not even know the answer themselves until sometime after we have shed the parenting role (which not surprisingly corresponds to our shedding of everything else…)

That’s okay. In the interim, we need to do the best we can.

My cat thinks I am a pain-in-the-ass because I make him stay in the yard. I think that qualifies as parenting, sort of, right?



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