Always hold fast to the present. Every situation, indeed every moment, is of infinite value, for it is the representative of a whole eternity.
—Goethe
With bills to pay or traffic to wait through, a colicky baby or a resentful teenager, it can be hard to feel that the moment right in front of you is a gift. But indeed, these are wonderful moments. We must, as Goethe put it, hold fast to them.
That’s what parenting is. It’s right now. It’s whatever you’re doing in this moment. Always.
Driving them to school. Folding laundry. Getting some quiet time before they wake up. Putting them back to bed when they wake up in the middle of the night. Sending them to their room. Taking away their phone because their grades have slipped. This is all it. This is all part of the job. And every one of these moments is wonderful. Every one of these moments is a gift.
All of it is right now. It’s being presented to you at this very moment.