I hope that I have been a good father and that one day my kids will smile when they think of me. It is not easy being a parent. We do our best to raise good kids. Kids who will turn into fantastic adults, and carry forward some of the lessons we shared with them.

Too often we are consumed with daily routines, home work, after school activities, and cleaning. It can be, and often is, stressful. During these hectic days, our mood swing, which can trigger short bursts of shouting if something goes against the plan.

I’m far from perfect and will openly admit that I raise my voice at my kids if they don’t behave, don’t clear the kitchen after asking 16 times, misbehave, or test my patience. It is hard not to, and I seriously doubt families who claim they are overly cheerful and have no arguments.

If that is the case, then I question the parents’ involvement in their kids’ lives, homework, cleaning routines, and might perhaps allow the kids to do whatever they want. Then I can see that there might be less confrontations.

Living with teenagers is hard. Their mood swings too frequently. They want to challenge the decisions made by the adults, trying to test their limits.

I just hope that my kids appreciate the love we have for them, even if we might get upset when they refuse to clean their room.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve grown to enjoy and love Zac Brown Band’s songs, and lyrics.

This excellent tune reflects on how I feel and think. I pray that my kids will smile when they think of me, and appreciate everything we did for them.

So when you drive
And the years go flying by
I hope you smile
If I ever cross your mind
It was a pleasure of my life
And I cherished every time
And my whole world
It begins and ends with you

I had the awesome opportunity to see Zac Brown in concert, and it was absolutely fantastic. The atmosphere was tremendous and they have many excellent singalong songs.

It was a date night with my wonderful wife. We held hands, drank cold beers, sat on the lawn with a blanket, and enjoyed a 2 hour concert under the star spangled sky.