There are a lot of things I hope my kids remember when they look back on their childhood.
Not the perfectly clean house.
Not the perfectly planned holidays.
Not even the perfectly worded advice.
I just hope they remember that we showed up.
I recently saw this quote that said one of the best ways we can show our kids we love them is simply by being there. Not perfectly. Just consistently. Showing up to the games. Showing up to the programs. Showing up to the hard conversations.
That idea resonated deeply with me because when I think about the years we’ve spent raising our kids, showing up has been a huge part of our lives.
Mike and I have sat through more band concerts and band competitions than I can count. We’ve watched marching band performances, concert band performances, and all the practices that led up to them.
We’ve spent countless hours on soccer sidelines. Some in the blazing heat, some in the bitter cold, and plenty in between.
There were Taekwondo classes, school events, practices, games, and performances.
And we went. Over and over again.
Not because we had nothing else to do, but because that’s where our kids were.
We rarely dropped them off somewhere and ran errands. If they had practice, we were usually nearby. If they had a game, we were in the stands. If they had a performance, we were in the audience.
And when two kids had events at the same time, we divided and conquered. One of us would go to one thing, the other would go somewhere else. Sometimes that even meant traveling out of town for soccer games.
It wasn’t always convenient. It wasn’t always easy.
But it mattered.
Because showing up sends a message that doesn’t require a speech.
It tells your kids, You matter.
It tells them, What you’re doing is important.
It tells them, I’m here for you.
The truth is, years from now, they probably won’t remember every word of advice we gave them. They won’t remember every rule or every lecture.
But I hope they’ll remember looking up from the field, the stage, or the mat and seeing us there.
Not because we did everything perfectly.
But because we kept showing up.
And really, when it comes to parenting, that’s the goal.