Being a parent is great.  It’s also tough stuff.  But, ultimately, it’s a journey that you go on with your child wherein you learn a lot about your child, the World and yourself.

As we begin this week, here are a few lessons I’ve learned of late:

1. Being a dad means finally accepting the fact that you will never be a major league baseball player

2. Being a dad means constantly wondering, “Do I want this for him because it’s right for him, or am I trying to live life over but better?”

3. Being a dad means experiencing great joy the first time your child says “I farted.”

4. Being a dad means a never-ending series of inner monologues consisting of “shoulda, coulda, woulda”

5. Being a dad means struggling between wanting to be a good provider and, at the same time, wanting to be more than just a pack mule and food for the next generation.

6. Being a dad means constantly walking a line between laying down the law and wanting to join in on the “jumping on and over the couch before bed” routine

7. Being a dad means knowing how to work the “Tom Sawyer” angle and make chores fun so jr. does them instead of throwing himself/herself on the floor in tantrum number 1396 of the day.