14 Jan Amsterdam, The Netherlands 2

“I thought it would always be in balance.  That I’d always feel compensated.  That parenting would always be exhausting, and always be fantastic.  But sometimes it’s just one or the other.  There are moments when it’s nothing but anger, frustration, and powerlessness.  Maybe we’re late for an appointment.  Or I need to get to work.  And she doesn’t want to leave the house.  She’ll fall on the floor, throw a fit, and not move.

You’ll try to reason with her but she won’t even hear you.  And at moments like this you feel so tired.  All of the patience, all of the love, cannot be found.  You wonder: ‘Why did I even start this?’  But then in the same day, the same hour, it all turns around.  She’ll come back from an errand with my wife, and she’ll jump out of the car, run up to me, and squeeze me harder than you can possibly imagine.  And I can’t imagine ever being angry.  All I can think is: ‘What on earth did I do to deserve this little scoundrel?’”(Amsterdam, The Netherlands)