Holiday thoughts

Ah, I was doing so well (not that a sampling of four posts is an overall indicator), and now it's been like two weeks. Lest anyone think otherwise, just want to say that I've had plenty to think about. I just haven't written any of it down. So here's one thing that I've been thinking about during this holiday:

Holidays and vacations are hard as the parent. Don't get me wrong. As cheesy as it sounds, the rewards of all the work (for example, watching the kids be excited and all that) outweigh the work itself. Here's the funny part: I don't think I put in nearly as much effort getting ready for these things as my wife does. I love that she wants everything perfect for our kids, and she tries really hard to keep it that way.

If I had realized when I was younger what it was like to be a parent, I hope I would have been a little more grateful for all my parents did for me. I am especially grateful for a mom who selflessly stepped up to the plate at a very difficult time in her life and played more than one parental role. As with everything my mother tries to do, she did a fantastic job at it.

I hope I can emulate my wife and my parents (and countless other examples) in being a good spouse/parent. I sometimes worry that the more I involve myself in my children's lives, the more screwed up they'll be. The worst thing I can think of, though, is to have the kids look back and say stuff like "I wish dad would have [fill in the blank]" instead of "Remember when dad [fill in the blank]".