When one first becomes a parent, it feels like a thankless job. Yes, we have those moments when the infant wraps their little fingers around one of yours. Or that smile, triggered by gas or perhaps it’s simply a smile of contentment.

The 3 o’clock in the morning crying, the changing of the diapers, and the fevers which frighten us to the point of bringing them to the ER at all times of the day.

They learn to walk, and then they run to you when they see you. They put their head against your heart, and they feel safe.

They learn to talk, a language that Google can’t even decipher. I guess we should give AI some time to map that out.

They leave to go to “school,” and they are tended to by strangers whom we trust to take care of them.

They grow fast, and before you know it, the running towards you becomes a nod and a quick smile. You ask how their day was, and they say, “long.”

So you ask, “What did you learn?” “Nothing.”

So you ask, “Who are your friends?” “Some kids.”

“Well, if you need any help with anything, I am here for you.”

“Thanks. I’m all right.”

The years fly by. This is not an exaggeration; they go so fast. Before you know it, they are in driver’s ed.

They get their license, and like the Harry Chapin song says, “What I really want, Dad, is to borrow the car keys. See you later, can I have them, please?”

They come home late, and you lay in bed, ignoring the nightmarish scenarios that are triggered by the sounds of emergency sirens.

You hear the door open, and you thank God and breathe a sigh of relief.

Before you know it—yes, I am repeating myself—they are full-grown adults.

They are off into the world, and you hope that you have prepared them for what’s out there.

You hope that they inherited some of the lessons you tried to show them by living as an example.

You worked your whole life, and the money you have to show for it is in your wallet, and it’s a very thin wallet.

But you worked, and you chose honesty and morality over “easy money.”

The years—yup, there’s that angle again—continue to add up, and you see yourself in your children. You see your children in their children.

More than any treasures in this world, there is that feeling that you have succeeded in raising your children.

It’s a frustrating feeling knowing that I can only provide them with my love and my presence. But what is amazing and inspiring is that this is all it takes. As a father, I want to provide them with anything and everything. But because I was not able to, they have created their own paths in life.

I watch them in awe, and I run to them when they walk in the door.

It’s then that I hear and feel the echoes of my parenting.

I have been blessed with my amazing wife, who has been the much better parent to our and my children.