This November is the two-year anniversary of the release of my book Humble Service, a book about the lessons learned on my journey as an at-home dad. The topic of that book, like this blog, is a part of my identity as a student of life.

St. Francis preached the virtue of constant renewal, a lifelong process of making yourself into a reflection of Christ. I want things to be done with immediate effect, but there’s too much work to be done. Knowing that I can work each day on bettering myself is more manageable.

I want to do more of my jobs with a servant’s heart. Yes, I always feed my children first and tend to their daily hygiene. But what about my disposition? Do I do it begrudgingly? Some days. I want to do it with love more frequently.

I want to have more humility and show more grace. I want to keep in mind that my children are still small people, learning their way in the world. I want to set high expectations for them, and help them when they don’t rise to the moment. I want to show them that the proper response to adversity isn’t stress and frustration, but patient acceptance.

What could be the fruits of these changes? Domestic tranquility, sure. But what about higher life satisfaction? Reaching the end of the day and not reflecting that I stayed home and took care of the kids, but instead that I nurtured young souls with love. I may even experience less internal complaining.

Fatherhood is not about being the boss, but about accepting responsibility with love. It’s hard to do perfectly, but I can probably do a better job of it tomorrow.

Tags: Parenting