Relief and Reflection: The Day After Father's Day
6/22/20262 min read
The Little Moments
Today started out great.
My children and I slept until 9:00 AM. That almost never happens in my house. Usually someone is awake before the sun, demanding breakfast, looking for a lost toy, or simply deciding that everyone else should be awake too. So when I looked at the clock and saw 9:00, I relished it.
Well, most of us relished it.
My girls would have happily slept another few hours if I had let them.
Eventually, reality arrived. I got my two youngest boys, ages three and five, up and fed them breakfast before taking them to summer camp. My nine-year-old daughter, Veronica, wanted to come with me. She always does.
The funny thing is that whenever Veronica gets to tag along, everyone else gets jealous. That's because she has a remarkable ability to convince me to stop somewhere. Sometimes it's for food. Sometimes it's to browse a store. Sometimes it's because she suddenly needs a new pair of earrings.
Today was one of those days.
After dropping the boys off, we stopped at a local coffee shop. I ordered an iced latte that was absolutely perfect. Cold, smooth, and exactly what I needed.
Unfortunately, the coffee wasn't enough to prevent a father-daughter disagreement.
Veronica decided she didn't want to be there. One thing led to another, and before long she was telling me she shouldn't have been born. If you're a parent, you know how conversations can go from zero to sixty in a matter of seconds.
As difficult as those moments can be, they're honestly par for the course sometimes. Kids have big emotions, and they don't always know what to do with them. They say things they don't mean. They test boundaries. They challenge your patience.
And sometimes they surprise you.
On the drive home, completely unprompted, Veronica apologized.
Just like that.
No lecture required. No extended discussion. Just a sincere apology from a little girl who realized she had hurt her dad's feelings.
Those moments mean a lot.
People often think parenting is about the big events—the vacations, the birthdays, the holidays, the milestones. But some of the best moments happen in ordinary places. In the front seat of a car. Over an iced latte. During a short drive home from summer camp.
It's watching your child grow one small step at a time.
It's seeing them learn accountability.
It's hearing "I'm sorry" when you least expect it.
Those are the moments that remind me why I love being a dad.
The days are chaotic. The house is loud. The coffee is usually gone too quickly. But every once in a while, in the middle of an ordinary morning, you get a glimpse of the incredible people your children are becoming.
And that's worth every minute of it.
Haha, I love being a dad.