The Challenge Of Parenting Is In The Unknown

"Stop your whining. Look at the sea, and contemplate eternity, goddamnit!" I yelled. Travel with children can be stressful.

When my children were really young, in diapers, I tried to prepare myself for the serious eventualities of life. Namely, what if my daughter became a cheerleader and my son wanted to play football?

The rub with this scenario was that in high school I was the guy with the bad haircut, listening to music nobody's ever heard of, and carrying on about how unfair it is being the only living soul in a sea of zombies.

So the irony of life would deliver two kids, popular at school, who enjoyed mainstream activities such as cheerleading and football.

I pictured myself enthusiastically encouraging them with their pursuits, not letting on that I was an alien to the world of pep rallies and pressured fourth downs.

As it turned out my kids don't seem on track to do either of these two activities, although it's not too late. I suspect if popularity is attractive to them they will achieve it at some point. But the test of parenting remains -- how the hell to handle the meltdown that is happening right now.

Each day delivers a crazily unique set circumstances never before experienced on planet earth. There is no way to be prepared for any specific eventuality. Rather the secret is to get enough sleep and budget extra time and mental calories to hack your way through the crises as they come.

And, of course, to proclaim stoke for all the blessings!