The world through the eyes of a child is a precious thing.

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Too often, we don't stop and smell the roses once we get older. We aren't captivated by the simple things and we don't appreciate things on the same level that we once did. There is a solution for this issue though...

PARENTHOOD!

Yup, in a lot of ways parenthood is your second chance at childhood. Obviously parenthood is an experience where you teach little ones to grow into adults and not where children teach you to become a child again, but there can be a lot of fun along the way.

Each of these precious little ones are growing older at the speed of life, and if we aren't careful, it'll all hardly be a memory one day. However, if we are diligent and put forth the effort, it'll be a wonderful and marvelous experience even for the adults!

I think that's one thing that I got from by dad, @grandpa-pepper. Time and time again he can have the most fun with others just by creating a simple game. The children obviously love it, and he too can have the time of his life and enjoy it just as much as them.

In this life we often move too fast and don't appreciate enough. "Yeah, so what? A fish is in the bowl." That is far more frequently the reaction of an adult or a child losing interest in the smaller wonders of life than that of a little one. Parenthood gives us the opportunity to stop and try to see things from a different perspective, a perspective that we once had, but may have lost.

It's been a blessing to stop and wonder all over again. A child can understand how incredible and special it is that seeds sprout, while too often we just settle for just knowing that they do. Truly, these things are precious if we allow them to be. I don't want to be unimpressed and ungrateful in my life. I don't want to take things for granted. I want to appreciate and be amazed.

I think a lot of who I was as a child and a lot that came along with that was in danger of being lost. Before I met @mama-pepper and actually settled down I was an alcoholic drug addict who was a kleptomaniac that lied continually. I didn't care much about anything and appreciated nothing. Parenthood can soften a hard man, and help him to live again.

If you are a parent, appreciate it for all that it is, and don't worry about what it is not. Make the most of your time with your little ones while you can, and feel free to be amazed and even to giggle with glee. If you are not a parent yet, I'll be honest with you. It's tough, but rewarding. I don't think any of us are ever "ready to be a parent." One day we just are a parent and then there is not turning back.

Obviously if you've seen some of my posts from this account or the @little-peppers account, then you know how much I appreciate being able to spend more time with my family than a lot of people. We've made some hard choices to get to that point, but we wouldn't change what we've given up because we appreciate too much what we've gained. Today while we were praying and thanking God before we enjoyed a meal together, we all said "Amen" at the end. And then our littlest of the @little-peppers "Buddy Pepper" said "Amen" too. It was his first word ever. Not only that, every sibling and both parents were there to hear it. That is so precious and so rare, and we don't ever want to take it for granted. Be blessed and enjoy it to the fullest!

As always, I'm @papa-pepper and here's the proof:

proof-of-parenthood

Until next time…

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GIF provided by @orelmely

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