We don’t get them for long. We don’t get them as much as we’d like. Because they grow up so fast. Because of the divorce. Because we travel for work. Because they have to go to school.

And as crazy as they drive us when we have them, we miss them so much when we don’t. Our hearts ache for them.

It’s worth remembering that that’s how it goes the next time they are driving you crazy—just how much you will be missing them soon enough. It’s worth remembering, as we’ve said, that you’ll be nostalgic for this moment later on, that you’ll be jealous of this person you are now soon enough.

We must, then, not just be present—but take in what this is. Take in traces of them, of this, to sustain us later. There’s that great line in The National song that goes—speaking of love and family:

I keep what I can of you
Split-second glimpses and snapshots and sounds

Because that’s what we’ll have. That’s what we’ll carry. Pay attention to it. Hold onto it. Keep what you can.

P.S. The days are long but the years are short. Every parent knows this—and every parent looks back and wishes they wrote down more. This precious time can slip away too quickly if we don’t intentionally reflect on it.

The Daily Dad book and its companion, The Daily Dad Five Year Reflection Journal, help you build a practice—five minutes a day to read, reflect, reset, and show up better tomorrow. Watch as this daily practice informs your actions, captures a lasting record of your kids’ childhood, and creates memories of their (and your!) growth on this amazing journey.

Begin today. Get The Daily Dad and the Daily Dad Five Year Reflection Journal.