Put in the Work

Parenting is hard. Being a dad is hard. Being a mom is hard. It is not easy to be a parent. As a dad, I try to be the best that I can be. It’s not always sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes I fail. Sometimes I succeed. I try to put in the work to be as successful as I can.

Last night after I got home from work, I was just checked out. We had a great weekend and I was just checked out when I came home. I had a long work day and I just wasn’t in the mood. I played on my phone more than I should have. I laid around more than I should have. We had the television on more that we should have. I did not put in the work I needed to last night.

We had a rough night last night. Kids were playing on the bed in the middle of the night not wanting to sleep. So this morning, I just could not get up. It was 6:30 by the time I got up and I am usually up at 6 or 6:15. I also went to bed really late too. It was almost 11p or later by the time I fell asleep.

These last few days I have not put in the work I have needed to be the best version of myself. I have been reading at night like normal but that is only part of it. To put in the work, I need to be on 100% of the time. I need to be emotionally available and checked-in, and not checked-out, when I need to be. It’s okay to have alone time or to have private time to get thoughts in order or to re-group but as a parent and a dad I need to be with them everyday I can.