This I Believe

I am the father of three young boys: 9, 6, and 3 years of age, and a one-year old baby girl. Parenting can certainly be frustrating most of the times: changing diapers is not fun, trying to solve conflict even fighting between brothers is a heart breaking experience, fixing sandwiches for school lunch is not my favorite past time, trying to explain the benefits of learning and the need to do homework can drive my blood pressure to the roof, and the list goes on and on…

However, I believe that parenting has its numerous awards: Seeing my three-year old son so exited when I am back home from office is by itself a priceless joy. Seeing my boys happy and excited to spend time with me in bed before sleeping listening with great attention to my trivial adventures when I was their age is a unique pleasure. Where else can you find someone passionately interested in your life story when you were eight or nine. Praying with my boys is another blessing. You can freely and totally express yourself in the prayer when you are with little children. And after all I discovered that the prayer of children is not very different from the prayer of the grown up. Furthermore praying with my boys gives me a chance to say certain prayer that, I admit, I seldom say when I pray by myself, like praying for the poor of the world, the homeless and the jobless, or praying for my parents or even for my in-laws. To see my 9-year old son solving a chess puzzle in Saturday newspaper that I couldn’t see the solution myself fills me up with pride and admiration. To see my 3-year old has taste for my favorite fruits and to see my 9-year old has my passion for math and reading is a sweet wonder and pleasure. To have three little friends who enjoy very much my company to go to a coffee shop for a hot chocolate with an M&M cookie is a great fun. To see them very happy to come to the Open House in my office and very excited to win small goodies or candies is the easiest way to make someone else happy.

To see them growing and developing different talents and interests makes life very enriching with them.

I don’t know how people who lost a child can carry on with their life, especially when the cause of loss can be easily avoided like not going to war in Iraq..

I believe no war on earth or even on the moon, preemptive war or emptive war. Defensive or offensive is worth losing anyone of my sons… This I believe.