Your kids came into your life as a blessing. They brought you unalloyed joy. They are the source of so much happiness and positivity.

But you have to remember: It won’t always be like this.

We did a Daily Stoic email recently around the haunting line from the Longfellow poem. “Into every life,” he writes, “some rain must fall.” No matter how happy, how blessed, how fortunate your family is—this will be true for you. Your kids will get sick. They will get hurt. Jobs will be lost. Struggles will be had. Tragedies will strike.

As they say, poor people have poor people problems. Rich people have rich people problems. White people have white people problems. Black people have black people problems. The one common thread uniting them all? Problems.

This is life. There is no escape. Or rather, the only way to avoid tragedy and pain is itself a source of pain and tragedy—living a shrunken, sheltered life of no color, no striving, no adventure. So you must prepare yourself. You must prepare your kids too. Rain is going to fall. Things will not always be amazing and wonderful. No, dark days will puncture the halo of goodness created by all the breezy, sunny ones. Don’t pretend otherwise. But also don’t forget that those dark days are also what create the contrast that allows those bright days to truly shine—in the moment and in your memories. 

Don’t take the good times for granted while they’re here. Don’t despair too heavily over the bad ones either. The weather will change soon enough.

“Thou Shall Be Prepared” is the 10th commandment in The Stoic Parent: 10 Commandments For Becoming A Better Parent. The Stoic Parent course is 10 days of the most important things that you can do to become the best parent you can be. If you want to take your parenting to the next level, sign up for The Stoic Parent today!

P.S. This was originally sent on June 29, 2021. Sign up today for the Daily Dad’s email and get our popular 11 page eBook, “20 Things Great Dads Do Everyday.”