Thankful for the Time

The other day, Amy marveled to me at how much of a blank slate kids
are at this age. "We have so much influence on them right now – for
good or for bad." I added, "intentionally or unintentionally." It
made us all the more sober to our need to live right, since there's
this little baby watching our every move and copying us.

It also made me thankful that we were able to become parents at this
stage in our lives. Being married five years before having a kid was,
for us, just about right. Too soon and we'd still be working out some
things as a couple; too late and we'd be too set in our kid-free
lifestyle.

I'm also grateful that the finances and timing worked out so I could
learn how to be a dad while I was a grad student. Don't get me wrong:
it's hard to juggle parenthood with classes and studying and
internships. But when will I ever have three weeks off for the
holidays? And when will I ever be free on Tuesdays before 2:00pm and
on Wednesdays from 8:00am to 5:00pm?

As flexible as my future job might be, it will probably involve at
least the 9-to-5, maybe even some weekend work and some travel. And I
won't mind it; though I'll miss the time away from home, I'm itching
to get back into the work world and make my contribution to society.
And I'll go knowing that my first year as a dad, I got to be home a
ton for my daughter and my wife, and it was worth every minute.