Everybody wants to get better. Next time, we tell ourselves, we’ll get it right. We’ll try harder. We’ll have less going on at work and therefore more time to focus. Tomorrow will be a fresh start. When they’re a little older we’ll be able to do X,Y,Z. 

This is all well and good, these best of intentions. We just have to remember, to our kids, now is what counts. We’ve talked before about how it’s the little moments that are seared into our memories of childhood. It’s true. You don’t remember any of your parent’s plans. Their intentions are irrelevant to you. What mattered is who they were, what they did, in those ordinary instances when you needed something, when you were paying attention.

All of which is to remind you today, that now is now. This moment is the one that counts. It’s game time. There is no dress rehearsal for parenting. No preseason. No learning curve or yearly averages. It’s sink or swim. It’s judged moment to moment. Your actions matter always, but most of all, they matter right here in the present.

So don’t delay. Don’t make excuses. Don’t allow yourself to defer or conserve. Be their parent right now. Do what needs to be done right now. Give your all right now. Show up, right now.

P.S. This was originally sent on May 10, 2021. Sign up today for the Daily Dad’s email and get our popular 11 page eBook, “20 Things Great Dads Do Everyday.”