On Saturday morning, I woke up at 5:00am and went for a walk. I came home, sat down, and read the news. This is a pretty normal morning for me. Just after 7:00am, three of my children came downstairs very excited. The day that they were waiting for had finally arrived!

Just after breakfast, I loaded them up in the car and drove them to the airport. There, they met my parents, and flew back to their house for a week’s vacation.

It was a quiet drive home, and a return to a quiet house. Alison and I suddenly found ourselves parents with only one child needing our care. I found myself thrown back to my first days as an at-home dad.

On a normal day, I crave the calm and quiet of the after-bedtime hours. Now that I have a quiet house, I crave the joy that my children bring to our home.

The kids will be back at the end of the week. While they’re away, I have a full schedule of cleaning, house projects, and catching up on projects that I normally don’t have time to accomplish. It’ll be a different pace for me, a different schedule, and a chance to have more room to breathe.

Missing my children deeply reminds me of the essential truth of children. Society may shun them as an added responsibility, but that toxic worldview misses the point. Children are a beautiful gift and a source of great joy.

Tags: Parenting