There are a lot of people that want your time. People at work. People on the phone. People from down the street. They need stuff. They want you to do stuff.
And you do your best to do it—to do your duty as a professional, as a colleague, as a citizen and a friend. But there is a line…there has to be a line.
Theodore Roosevelt, when he was governor of New York, was famous for reserving the evenings for his family. He was busy, sure, but as Doris Kearns Goodwin quotes in her wonderful book The Bully Pulpit (grab a copy here from The Painted Porch) Roosevelt believed that his kids had “a decided claim [on his time], even in the midst of the most pressing affairs of the State.” If our kids don’t have a pressing and decided claim, who does? If we prioritize everyone else over them, what does that say?
Especially when we so often claim that we do it all for our family. Your kids deserve your time. They are entitled to your time. You deserve time with them. You are entitled to time with them, too. But you’re going to have to fight for it and protect it. You’re going to have to insist on it, even in the midst of pressing affairs and conflicting obligations.
As it says in The Daily Dad entry for March 22, Your kids are not a distraction from your work. They are your work.
P.S. The Daily Dad book was written for parents who want to get a little better each day at the most important role they’ll ever have. One entry at a time, one day at a time, drawing on philosophy, history, literature, science, and the hard-won wisdom of parents across the centuries—it helps you to become more a present and confident parent.
Our keepsake leatherbound edition is built to last as long as the lessons inside. It’s sturdy enough for daily reading and beautiful enough to pass down. Pair it with The Daily Dad Five Year Reflection Journal for a structured path to becoming the parent you aspire to be. And if you know a dad who needs this encouragement too, it makes a genuinely meaningful gift.
Get your copies of The Daily Dad and The Daily Dad Five Year Reflection Journal today!
