I had a mother and father sitting in my office recently and they made a statement I found very real.

“If we had known it would be like this, I don't know if we would've had kids.”

In big crowds, at conferences, and in circles of parents you rarely hear this kind of raw vulnerability. We expect parents- no matter how hard the job of parenting is- to celebrate the struggles and make statements like “I wouldn’t change him for the world” or “My daughter has been a bigger blessing than I could have imagined.”

One is not more true than the other. I believe most parents- of typical children or otherwise- have times when they question the choice to have kids. Or quietly fantasize about what they would be doing if they weren’t doing kids. Equally there are moments when a child’s gaze, hug, or witty comment seems to make it all worthwhile.

It's okay parent.  Or Grandparent parenting again. We all have those thoughts sometimes.  Continue on. Indeed it is worthwhile in the end...and sometimes in the middle.  Look for thsoe moments and hold onto them when you can.

There is a little life running around your feet that is counting on you to carry on.