It would be wonderful if kids always listened and followed the rules. If they always made the right choices. If every friend they made had parents like you—thoughtful, engaged, and invested. If every teacher and coach knew how to inspire them and bring out their best. If we didn’t have to worry about underage drinking or distracted driving or whatever the next worrisome trend might be.

But we know life doesn’t work that way. It never has, and it never will.

So where does that leave us? It leaves us with one clear responsibility: focusing on what we can control. Marcus Aurelius—a father of 14—put it best: It doesn’t matter what other people do, say, or think. It only matters what you do.

As parents, this is both a challenge and a truth that empowers us. We can’t control who our kids meet or what others say to them. We can’t control every experience they’ll have at school or on the field. We can’t guarantee they’ll get teachers who connect with them or coaches who see their potential.

But we can control what we teach them. We can control how we spend our time with them. We can control the example we set. What we do, what we say, and how we show up. That’s what we control. And it’s enough to make all the difference.