You were just trying to push them toward their potential. You were just trying to get them to behave. You were just tired or frustrated. You were just trying to teach them.

But…

Take out your phone right now and go look at some pictures of your kids from several years ago. Look at how little they seem. How much younger they were. Now try to remember how hard you were on that little person.

It doesn’t matter if they’re twenty years old now, or ten or two—you’re going to look back on this moment and think the same thing again. Almost no one looks back and thinks, “I really wish I was more critical of my kids.” No one looks back and thinks, “I really should have come down on them even more than I did.”

We forget—we always seem to forget—how young they still are. And they are still so young, still figuring stuff out, still trying to make sense of their bodies and the world, still doing their best (even when they’re screwing up, even when they’re driving you crazy).

Right now, they’re the youngest they’ll ever be…ever again. Remember that. Be patient. Help them figure stuff out, make sense of things. Do your best to help them do their best. They’re still learning. And so are you.

P.S. If you want to keep learning how to be a better parent, you need more than good intentions. You need a practice. The Daily Dad Five Year Reflection Journal can help you build one.

Five minutes a day to reflect, reset, and show up better tomorrow. Watch as your daily practice informs your actions, gradually closing the gap between the parent you are and the parent you want to be—one who acts with more intention, patience, and wisdom.

Begin today. Keep the practice, and let it keep you.

Get your Daily Dad Five Year Reflection Journal.