Father Figures: Life Didn’t End

“My college roommate and I always used to joke that marriage was end of your life. Marriage led to kids, living in the burbs, driving a van, i.e., being a ‘real adult.’
I got married two years after graduating and my life didnât end. My wife and I lived in the city. Life was simple. Then we started talking about kids. Then I thought, okay, thatâs when my life ends. Thatâs when we move to the burbs, drive a van, etc.
Fast forward 6 years and I have two boys, one 4 years old and one 19 months. My ‘life’ still hasnât ended. Itâs only gotten more exciting.
Everyone dreads the late nights and the public meltdowns, but Iâve come to realize that those are the moments Iâll remember most. Sure Iâll remember t-ball games, birthdays, and whatever the future holds, but more than anything else I remember having to be up at 4am to help Beau fall asleep because heâll only sleep if heâs laying on my chest. Or laying with Logan because he was scared.
I remember these things because they are the moments we canât recreate. In the moment they may seem frustrating or tiring, but every morning after a late night, I turn to my wife – while we’re driving in our van, leaving our house in the suburbs – and tell her, Iâm going to miss this someday.”
– Andrew Moldawer
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Check out the previous editions of Father Figures here.