987 – Look for, pay attention to, create joy with your child.
I don’t like cliches. Especially when it comes to parenting. There is a time and place for them, to be sure. Overall, they are rubbish. And deserve no place. Take them or leave them? Leave them.
Though, I wonder, is not liking them because of them, or because people tend to say them and then ignore them? Don’t say it to say it, then neglect the very thing you just said.
Specifically referring to “they grow up so fast”. Then pay better attention. Stop putting “other” first. Stop fighting and arguing. Stop wasting time in front of screens and on and on. A riff on a quote attributed to John Lennon, “they grow up fast” while you are busy doing other things. Be present. Starting looking for, paying attention to, creating the joy that is having a child.
They don’t grow up fast. It’s more about what you are doing while they are growing. They grow one second, one minute, one hour, one day at a time. That’s 86, 400 seconds, 1, 440 minutes, or 24 hours to notice, create, and be a part of the joy of having a child.
A Better Father 