"And that makes it all worth it"

It was around 9.30pm on a chilly evening. I can’t remember the day, exactly [when you have a child, everything is a blur, really]. I think it was Monday. Yes, Monday. We had just finished watching Game of Thrones. Megan and I were downstairs when a soft but instantly recognisable sound came through on the intercom. Every parent knows the sound of their child. Alice was crying.

[Now this is not unusual. Alice is generally very good at going to sleep around 6.30pm and wakes up for the first time between 9.30pm and 10.30pm. She’ll have a quick feed and then straight back to sleep.

Megan went upstairs. It wouldn’t be long, I thought, and she would be back and we could finish off whatever show we were watching. I was right. Except she wasn’t alone. Repetitive “dada, dada, daaadaaa” cooing accompanied her as she walked down the stairs. “She was calling for her daddy,” Megan said. “So I thought I had to bring her to see you.”

It was cute, no doubt, but also a little terrifying. A child awake and wanting to play at 9.30pm can only spell trouble. If I’m honest, I really just wanted to watch the last five minutes of whatever we were watching and then go to sleep. Alice had other plans.

As Megan brought her to me, her face lit up in the biggest smile I’ve ever seen. Her eyes shone brightly. Her arms flew open and she almost seemed to throw herself at my.

“And that makes it all worth it,” Megan said.

She’s never been more right.

I’ve said this previously, and I maintain that it’s 100% true: having a child is hard. There are things from your pre-child life that you will miss. There will be poo, and a lot of it. You will end up covered in vomit (and probably not care). You will face times when your kid screams and screams and screams and screams...and screams. And if you’re a working parent you will find it really difficult to go to the office or to travel for extended periods. But, man, it’s absolutely worth it.

When I look at my family, I’m overwhelmed by how happy they make me. Between the lot of us, there are thousands [I’m not exaggerating] of pictures of Alice. They make me giddy, almost, with pure joy. Take the pictures, cuddle them when they want to play [even if it’s at 9.30pm on a Monday night and you’re tired], give them kisses and hold them tight.

Having a kid is tough, but it’s ridiculously worth it [as the pictures below show].