“I don’t know how to do it!” The little boy shouted, his tiny body becoming rigid as anger and frustration took hold. His father watched as the boy stomped his feet and shouted, the little man to be falling prey to rage. The father felt his own anger coming on, seeing the boy behave this way invoked a knee-jerk reaction to put him in his place. He took a breath and smiled, it wasn’t all that long ago he was little, it seemed like just yesterday, and he remembered how frustrating those young years of life were. Everything was new and confusing back then, and it was easy to be overcome with emotions. He wished he could tell his son it got easier, but all he could do was prepare him for the next waves of confusion and frustration he would face in his teenage and adult years.  

The father knelt down and looked his son in the eyes, his anger replaced with compassion and empathy for this furious little human. He gave him a hug, and said “Let’s figure it out together.” The little boy wiped his tears and nodded in agreement. 

The little boy thought of that day as they lowered his father’s casket into the grave. He wiped his tears as he turned to pick his son up, the words of his father forever echoing in his mind. “A good man takes a lifetime to make. Take my good, and leave my bad, be a better dad.” The little boy squeezed his son in a tight hug, it seemed like just yesterday he was that small.