With bills to pay or traffic to wait through, a colicky baby or a resentful teenager, it can be hard to feel it. It can be hard to feel that the moment right in front of you is a gift. But indeed, these are wonderful moments.

“Always hold fast to the present,” Goethe said. “Every situation, indeed every moment, is of infinite value, for it is the representative of a whole eternity.”

That’s what parenting is. It’s right now. It’s whatever you’re doing in this moment. Always.

Driving them to school. Folding laundry. Getting some quiet time before they wake up. Putting them back to bed when they woke up in the middle of the night. Sending them to their room. Taking away their phone because their grades have slipped. This is all it. This is all part of the job. And every one of these moments is wonderful. Every one of these moments is a gift.

All of it is right now. It’s being presented to you at this very moment. Accept it. Embrace it. Hold fast to it.

Because one day it will be gone.

P.S. We created the Tempus Fugit medallion to help us parents be more present with our kids. The front of the coin features two hourglasses—the essential symbol of the essential aspect of life: time—one to represent you and one to represent your children. On the back are the two reminders we parents need every day: “They grow up so fast” surrounded by, “All time is quality time.” In a world of constant distractions and unlimited obligations competing for our time and attention, this medallion is the perfect reminder to hold the present tight, to embrace the people you love as much as humanly possible for as long as humanly possible.