My Happiness

While I fully acknowledge that being a child just isn’t what it used to be, and that maybe it’s harder today, what with technology and the media inundating them with information, not to mention the problems of the world that are pounded into their heads from an early age. No, it ain’t easy for the kids of the world. However, I would also argue that being a parent isn’t what it used to be, either.

After all, my parents pretty much had nothing to do with me when I was growing up. They provided food, shelter and clothing, but as for everything else, including friends, activities and a social life, they pretty much left my brother and I to our devices. The concept of a play-date was ridiculous, to say the least.

Today, in the age of uber-parenting, we’ve become totally enmeshed in our kids lives. I realize it’s a question of degrees, and some parents are more involved than others. I can honestly say, however, that for Ruth and I, our actual happiness is directly tied into that of our kids. When our children are having a happy day, so are we. But when they’re down in the dumps, we’re right there besides them, wallowing in self-pity.

I bring this up because we are on the cusp of yet another big holiday: Easter. While we don’t celebrate Easter in any formal way, it’s still an occasion where I can be made to feel guilty if we don’t find something fun and interesting to do with our kids. Is there an egg hunt somewhere?

Well, in the end, I can’t stress over it. The kids have just as much fun whatever we’re doing, and if we don’t make the “happening” thing to do this time around, then we’ll catch it the next time.