I have the sense of delicacy of a bear trap

It was a bad day as a father for me.  I had little sleep the night before and Gabe chose this morning to compete for the position of head of household.  It didn't go well for him.  I was probably 50% more unyielding than I should have been.

Factors of safety are not applicable to disciplinary measures.  Finesse is the mark of a good parent.

Boundaries are a tricky thing.  My dad once explained to me that a child's entire purpose is to push boundaries.  To systematically test what is right and wrong and find where acceptable behavior lies.  I may be misquoting him because, from anecdotal evidence, my father understands that kids are binary: either eating or playing.  I think he was trying to give me insight into those two modes.

I have such small quantities of time with my children during the week that everything seems distilled to intense interactions.  I find myself manufacturing the cliché "what did you do today" conversation as though that will fill me in on my child's life.  They have not mastered the memorandum bullet point form of communication.

Gabe will wake up tomorrow and I will have another chance to be a patient and loving father.  That is comfort in the resiliency of our children in the face of my imperfections.