09/28/2026
“Dad, kids work much harder than adults.”
Yesterday, while we were sitting in the dugout during the twins’ baseball game, the two of them suddenly turned to me and said, in a slightly proud, “We do way more work than you guys” kind of voice:
“Dad, in the game, kids always work much, much harder than adults. We have to run around, hit the ball, catch the ball, protect the plate—we do everything. And the parents just need to watch us.”
I laughed and told them:
“Yeah, you’re right. During the game, you guys are definitely the ones who get the most tired. And us parents? Sometimes, it really does look like we’re just sitting there watching and doing nothing.
But do you guys know how much the parents have to prepare just so you can have one or two hours to play a game like this?
We have to get up early to make sure you have a good, filling breakfast. Your water bottles don’t magically fill themselves. And depending on the weather that day, we have to decide whether to put ice in them, whether to bring a portable fan, extra towels, and so on.
And take last week, for example. Your baseball game was only a little over an hour after your basketball game, so there wasn’t enough time to go home. So besides breakfast, Dad also had to prepare lunch. I had to think about what to feed you so you could recover quickly and have enough energy for another two-plus hours of playing.
And during the game, you see that Dad isn’t exactly sitting around doing nothing either. We parents have to split up the jobs. Someone is filming, someone is responsible for the livestream, someone is keeping score, someone is keeping an eye on you guys and making sure you’re ready to get into position.
So yeah, compared to you guys, we probably don’t do nearly as much running. But that doesn’t mean us parents are just sitting around enjoying ourselves, okay?”
After hearing all that, I don’t know how much they actually understood or took to heart, but they seemed to nod thoughtfully.
Then they ran over and gave Dad a big hug.
“Thank you, Dad.”
No matter how tired I may be, hearing those words makes all the tiredness disappear 😊😊
