To the Parent Who is More Than Just the Provider,
I see you.
I see you trying your best and barely taking a break.
I see you getting home after a 10-hour workday and tending to the kids.
I see you putting them to bed, although you have the option to plop your body onto the couch for the rest of the night.
I see how hard you’re trying, and you’re appreciated more than you believe (trust me).
You are the dishwasher when I can’t wash another dish.
You are the baby holder when I just can’t take it anymore because the baby cries every time I put him down.
You are the foot and back massager.
The one who lets me cry on your shoulder after what felt like the most stressful day of my life.
You are the nightly kid bather so I can have 20 minutes of silence.
You are the cook and the cleaner when it’s my turn to sleep in.
You’re the “go take a shower, I’ll put the kids to bed.”
You’re the re-assurer, who lets me know I’m doing a great job and “nobody can do this better than you.”
You are the glue that holds this family together.
I’m sorry if sometimes I take you for granted.
Because the truth is, without you…
I would never get a full night’s rest.
I wouldn’t eat proper meals at the end of long days– snack food would be the new dinner.
I wouldn’t get a break from doing the dishes, laundry, or even whiny babies.
I would probably never ever be clean.
And I know for a fact I would break down once a day.
Of course, without you, I could make it– we could make it.
But it would be so hard.
And I wouldn’t even want to.
So, I see you, and I appreciate you.
Thank you for trying your best.