BEING A PARENT in these uneasy times is like taking a masterclass in life’s 10,000 joys and 10,000 sorrows. The path of parenting contains moments of tremendous joy, pride and possibility, plus moments of heartbreak, fear, and confusion.
As our children grow up in a world with so much beauty and so much devastation, our task becomes ever more complex. As my mother-in-law often says, “Small children, small problems; big children, big problems.” With all the problems we parents hold and help our children through—from colic to broken bones to broken hearts to feelings of disconnection and alienation—we can lose sight of the pleasure present on the path of parenting.
Pleasure is often
