“You always tell me about the hardships of parenting,” I said to my sister. “I get it that you are exhausted, sleepless, and stretched very thin. But there have to be some things that make it all worth it for you, right? Why don’t you talk about them?”
“Well, I always feel like people don’t want to hear about the rewards of parenting because such stories sound soppy and sentimental,” she responded.
I want to hear them! Please, dear parents, share some of the stories about what makes it all worth it for you. Feel free to be as sentimental as you like. 🙂
Clarissa's Blog 
My daughter is now 14 and what makes it worthwhile is when she tells me that I help make her world safe. Not only does she love me she trusts me. That is worth billions.
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Thank you! This is very beautiful. I hope other people dont feel shy and participate too.
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When my first daughter was a small child, I sometimes said that parenting was exactly as much trouble as it was worth. There is a lot of satisfaction which only increases as the children get older.
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I really get what you mean. In my culture, we have a saying, though, “little kids cause small problems, while big kids cause big problems.” My mother loves saying this to me for some reason.
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I’ve heard that, only it was phrased, “Little children, little heartaches, big children, big heartbreaks.”
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Oh man, where do I start!
Every time I get a hug or a kiss from my boys I turn to mush — and it’s not like kisses and hugs are few and far between!
A few days ago my 6-week-old baby started smiling these big toothless grins — I am still giddy!
Watching a person develop from a little blob into a walking, talking, thinking person is absolutely amazing. At the age 3, you can actually take them to dinner and have dinner conversation. Between ages 3 and 5 they are at this unbelievable stage where they have the world “figured out” and will give the most insightful comments on anything.
When they hit preteen years, they are at the juncture where they are still bright-eyed and innocent and believing the world is good and just (i.e. they are kids) yet they have a lot of knowledge and well-developed cognitive abilities. I think they embody the best of humans at that age…
I like what David said above (that kids are exactly as much trouble as they are worth).
There are many rewards at any age, but ultimately no one can take away the pride in having raised a (hopefully) successful and happy human being.
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My favourite moment had to be when my daughter was about 8 months old – she was nursing, came off the breast, sat up, smiled and clapped, then continued nursing.
One of my proudest moments was when my son was about 5 years old – like ‘good’ Canadians, we put him in the Learn to Skate program (because all Canadians should know how to skate). 8 weeks in, he was miserable. Doing horrible. He hated every minute of it. That day, he came off the ice, looked at me and said, “I don’t want to take the next course. You don’t know how to skate dad, and your life is just fine.” The logic was simple and correct – he finished the course he was in (because we always finish what we start), but he hasn’t put on skates in over 6 years, and he doesn’t regret it for a moment.
Most days are happy days – far too many moments to pick out. 🙂
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Last year I was stuck in the Salt Lake City airport for three or four hours on Christmas Eve with my daughter, trying to get to where my wife was in California. My father in law was very sick and in fact died that very evening, as we found out many hours later when we actually reached our destination. The airplane kept getting further delayed. My daughter and I were playing cards to pass the time, and when she spoke to her mom on the phone, she said “Dad and I are having a great time.” She thought it was a great time just to be stuck in an airport playing cards with her dad.
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Yep – that’s cool. My daughter was thrilled to spend the day with me, cleaning the house. My son was thrilled to spend 12 hrs in a car, driving into town and back for auditions. They (kids) just love spending time together. I know of what you speak, Jonathan.
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