Over the past few months, I've spoken with nearly twenty parents about their experiences raising children. Each conversation started with a simple question: "What's going well, and what's been challenging?"
The answers were deeply personal, yet hauntingly familiar. Again and again, I heard stories of connection slowly slipping away. Not because of a dramatic fight or a single bad decision, but because life happened. Work got busy. Teenagers pulled away. Parents hesitated, unsure how to help. Some believed giving space was a virtue.
And suddenly, the bond that once felt unshakable was... quieter.
That scared me. Because I don't want that to be my story.
I want to stay connected to my kids, not just when they're little and need me, but as they grow into themselves. I want to be the parent who finds a way in, even when the door feels half-closed.
So I've made a simple promise to myself: I will meet them where they are.
That doesn't mean giving up my own interests. It means finding creative ways to blend theirs and mine.
Take my son, for example, he's obsessed with rap music. I, on the other hand, love producing videos and telling stories. So we're working on something wild together: a rap music video to celebrate my brother's wedding.
He's writing the lyrics. I'm directing the shoot. We're arguing over rhymes and laughing about camera angles. And somewhere in the middle of all that creative chaos, I can feel it: that spark of connection.
It's not always easy. But it's worth it.
Because as parents, we want to hang on to the moments of connection with our children a little longer. There's a way to do it, as long as we try.