The “dad guilt” is real. I am usually at the office, on a side job, or somewhere in between, trying to pay for the cost of this life. When I’m not working, I’m at the gym, trying to stay healthy enough to keep paying for it. The truth is, this isn’t my life; it’s my kids’ lives. I don’t think they realize that, and they may never know, and I prefer it that way.

I struggle with the guilt that they don’t see me enough, or that when they do, I’m exhausted. But then I see the photos and videos of everything they’re doing, and the guilt subsides for the moment. I don’t need to be the center of attention, even if my ego craves it sometimes.

I think that’s my most important job, just letting them be kids, blissfully unaware.