You don’t have to buy a fire pit, but you must find ways to invest in your kids; to teach them diligently as you sit and as you walk and when you lie down. Remember, you have 936 Saturdays. Unless you are reading this today with 9 year old, in which case you have half that many. Time is fleeting. You have opportunities and responsibilities, but you don’t have forever.

The days are long, but the years are short.

These are wise words that were spoken to Angela and I when our kids were younger. Our oldest son turned fifteen last week, and I was reminded again of the sage wisdom. Some days as a parent seem to last a month. And yet, as holidays roll arounds or birthdays are celebrated, we all find ourselves sounding more and more like our parents, “they sure do grow up fast.”

My days are numbered with my kids. From birth to eighteen (when we sort of hope they will begin to leave the nest), I have about 936 weekends. 936 Saturdays. 936 Sundays. Actually, I don’t even have all of those. Of the 936 Saturdays that my kids will spend on this earth during their first 18 years, many of them will be spent away from me. I may travel, they might go to a friend’s house or visit with grandparents.

My 936 gets cut down to 836 or 736. If you happen to be a family separated by divorce, you may only have your kids half of those days. Maybe your number is 400 or 425.

Depressed yet?

I hope not. I’m not writing to depress anyone, just to remind you all that the days may be long, but the years are short. Because the years are short, it is imperative that we invest all we can in the years that we have.

In our family, one of our efforts at investment is to get away from screens regularly and spend time enjoying each other. That means we love walks and sports. It also means that we have to double-down on entertainment ideas that keep us away from the television.

That’s why we bought a fire pit.

Angela and I wanted to create an excuse to be outside together. But, we also are realistic. Sometimes, our kids find us boring and sometimes getting them away from screens is a fight.

But, kids don’t find fire boring.

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