I See The World Through Parental Eyes

"The one thing about being a parent is the ability to be selfless:
To give up the things you want and need for the benefit of someone else."
- Danny McBride

   I always thought I was a selfless person. I looked out for the underdog, included the left out kid, and so on. Once I was married, it became painfully apparent that I was anything but selfless. The Wife and I didn't start having children until the 7th year of marriage, giving me plenty of time to work on becoming more selfless (and yes, I was working on it that ENTIRE time). Once we had our first, the slow shift took place to where I was needing to put others first as a rule. Now that we're at three little ones, what we want as parents is irrelevant,.....period. 

   The above image is of a small amount of convention swag that I picked up recently. As I performed my day to day, shaking hands and kissing babies, I noticed something. I was peering around, wondering what kind of gear my kids might like. Squishy characters? Done. Cool looking pens? Got it. LED keyring flashlights? Grab two!!! I found that I became more excited about getting home by the minute and was jumping out of my skin as I drove up to the house. It was mildly ceremonious, as I had them sit on the bench by our shoe basket. I pulled out each pair of new treat one by one. They were as excited as I was, and it felt like a mission accomplished. 

   I remember how exciting it was to get some sort of treat or toy from my father when he came back from a trip or convention. It was new and exciting, but most of all, I remember it made me feel good to know he was thinking about me. I play up how much I think of them during the day. They know that I miss them, think of them, speak of them, and so on. Where I used to just think of myself during the daily routine, I now see the world through parental eyes. I don't know when and if that will change, but as the quote at the top says, I find great pride in "giving up things I want and need for the benefit of someone else". Especially the ones that make me feel like a rock star when I walk through the front door. 

J.