Okay, I won’t deny it, I am time-poor when it comes to parenting. I know that the time I spend with my only son is not enough to be considered enough time. My wife has been telling me to find more time with my son. I love to, but 24 hours are not enough to make a whole day. I know that it’s not only me, there are many dads out there who also are finding it hard to make time for parenting because they are too busy making a living. I believe that most dads do not see immediately that they are time-poor when it comes to parenting, they think that what they are doing–working hard to make good money– is a good excuse for parenting. It is true that providing for the family is a duty of a father, but it should not stop there.
I just realized how much I am missing out with my son’s progress in this world. I came home yesterday to find my son in front of the computer, his whole attention was on the game he was playing. While I watched him in silence as he tackled that difficult level of the game, I realized that he’s no longer a toddler, my son has turned into a boy. I watched his fingers as they nimbly jumped over the keys as he controlled his game, and I realized how much he has grown. Then he turned to me and explained to me the game he was playing, like a teacher explaining some important lesson, using well-formed sentences in perfect grammar. How could I have missed his transition from toddler to little boy? I come home every day from work like most dads, but I barely notice my son’s progress because as soon as I get home, I go straight to the computer to do some more work.
I used to have a lot of time for my son during his first two years. I knew everything about him then–his shoes, his clothes, and his toys–every single piece. But now I see strange toys, strange shoes, and strange clothes. I’m missing out a lot, I need to catch up. I should make time. This weekend, we’ll go to the park and play some soccer. That’s a promise, I won’t break it.