This is not to say that parenthood is all sweetness and light. Children have no conception of fatigue or the limitations of the human body. They cannot appreciate why Mrs Dooley does not appreciate being serenaded at 3am, or why their father hides in his study simply to get some rest. However, all that means nothing compared to the endless hours of laughter and affection which animate our home. It means nothing when you consider that a parent’s real legacy is their children. Everything else is simply straw.

This is not to say that parenthood is all sweetness and light. Children have no conception of fatigue or the limitations of the human body. They cannot appreciate why Mrs Dooley does not appreciate being serenaded at 3am, or why their father hides in his study simply to get some rest. However, all that means nothing compared to the endless hours of laughter and affection which animate our home. It means nothing when you consider that a parent’s real legacy is their children. Everything else is simply straw.