Of course, your kids love you. They look up to you. They imitate you. They want to be around you. 

At the same time, it seems like they could not be less impressed or less interested in us. 

That’s just the absurd, humbling reality of it. And honestly, why should they be that interested? Think about everything there is to learn in the world, all the stuff that is new and funny and exciting to them. You think they’re going to make you their hero once they find out about Wonder Woman and Ironman? You don’t even have any superpowers!

The Super Bowl-winning quarterback Phil Simms once gave his son the watch he won as the winner of the 1986 Pro Bowl MVP Award. His son was blown away. “Damn, you were the MVP of the Pro Bowl?”, he said. “Holy Christ, son,” was all Phil could utter. His kid didn’t even know about one of his proudest accomplishments.

Let that sober you up. Your kids aren’t even going to care if you were a literal MVP! You could come home having won a presidential election and they’re still going to say, “Can I watch TV while we have dinner?” But that’s OK. It’s not their job to celebrate your wins, to be a fan of you. It’s your job to celebrate their wins. To be their biggest fans. 

They don’t need to be impressed by you. They just need to be loved and supported by you. And to know that you’re impressed enough with them.

P.S. This was originally sent on March 2, 2021. Sign up today for the Daily Dad’s email and get our popular 11 page eBook, “20 Things Great Dads Do Everyday.”