The Importance of Enjoying Your Kids

A Simple Word of Advice to Young Dads

I have a word of advice for young dads: enjoy it.

Those early years with the kids just fly by. I know that, at the time—when you are in that mega-commitment 24/7—it seems like you want to say, “Oh my goodness, how did this happen?!” But the truth is, it just flies by.

When our children sense that we sincerely enjoy them, they feel loved.

If I could go back to those early years when our kids were little—those high-demand years—I’d go back in a New York minute because I miss it so much. It’s very important to understand that commitment is not a trap, it’s not a prison. Commitment is an escape from prison—the prison of selfishness. To be in those high-demand years is a great blessing, so enjoy it. Enjoy your kids!

We all experience sincere enjoyment as love. The Westminster Catechism says that “the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” When we sincerely enjoy God as our greatest good—at the level of our heart and at the level of our mind—God feels loved. That same principle is true of all interpersonal relationships.

When our children sense that we sincerely enjoy them, they feel loved. Our children have not been sent into our lives as some sort of curse or burden, even though they require and deserve tremendous attention.

So enjoy those years and enjoy your kids; you’re going to miss it really soon.