Happy Easter

I realized yesterday was the first time I went to a proper Easter Sunday mass. I was baptized two years ago on Easter Vigil, which is the day before but for one reason or another, I was never able to make to church on Easter Sunday itself. 

Needless to say, it was very festive, children in their Sunday's finest, little girls with pink bows in their hair and Easter baskets in their hand. It was a picture of loveliness. I suppose as a parent, one waits for occasions like this and I suppose a successful holiday season where your children are well behaved will erase the one million tantrums they've thrown up until then. 

Parenthood is a  mysterious subject to me, not because I am not a parent, I have been around enough people who are parents in my life to get an idea what it's like. My relationship with my parents are spotty at best, like all people, there are ups and downs but in general it is good. I love them and I know they love me. I have no lingering bitterness or resentment towards them, which I believe is the most optimal outcome regardless how your relationship was before. 

What is mysterious to me is how acrimonious and antagonistic some parent/child relationships are, people put in huge sacrifices to become parents, some people give up their whole life's dream because of parenting duties, so why bother if the end result is so bad. Why bother with this whole enterprise of parenthood if in the end both parties are just going to muck it up? What is the point of all of this when at the end your kids can't stand you, you hate their choice of partner in life or choice of career, you can't be in the same room with them for more than 10 minutes before some verbal altercation breaks out, what is the point? Doesn't anyone concede at some point and say "this is not right, let's grow up and accept each other". You  may not like my choices and for sure I hate your choices, but can't we agree to disagree and try to get along like civilized people?