In an earlier post, I mentioned that my son has reached that milestone of one year of life. Today he and I were hanging out in my recliner. He was just sitting in my lap while we listened to some music and I read. Eventually he became bored with just sitting in my lap (babies have such short attention spans these days). So he started climbing my torso like it he was a champion rock climber, even though my torso only passes for a champion bean bag or pillowy wall of softitude.
When he’s climbing, he likes to pull my hair or grab my glasses. And I like to tickle his ribs until he’s a a ball of squirm and laughter. It is one of the purest forms of joy I have ever experienced. It lasts about five minutes or until he cannot breathe, whichever comes first. I let him catch his breath and then we begin again.
On occasions like this, it is hard to beat being a parent. I don’t deny that it’s tough and can be one of the most challenging roles I will ever have. But what a privilege it is to be an “A-DAH” (daddy).
If you’re a parent, what stories do you have about the joy of being a parent?