One day she’s going to stop high-fiving me. What will I have missed between then and now? Parenting is hard, really hard. We all struggle with different aspects of parenting. I’m really good at the schedules, the structure, making food and cleaning up, doing chores and talking about feelings.

I’m not good at playing, teaching, and dealing with her own big emotions.

During quarantine, I am the friend she has to play with. This realization broke my heart a little. I’m not playing with her. Her friend, and her mom, and saying no not right now again and again. How does this make her feel? Sad? Disappointed? What am I missing out every time I say no to her? What memory never got to be made? What will I regret later?

Say yes.