To live the life of my (one’s) dreams.

Last night I was exchanging texts with my fifteen-year-old son. I have four kids. Our ten-year-old twins are relatively quiet (for now!) but our two teenage boys have difficult characters. Brilliantly difficult! Unruly, stubborn, rebellious. I’m making it sound rosy and romantic now. But they’re damn difficult. They often wear us out. But I’m starting to see them mature. I absolutely don’t doubt they will grow up to become amazing, versatile individuals, high achievers in whatever they choose to pursue.

So my son told me “you live in a dream”, referring to some of our family’s pursuits. He meant it in a negative way. He’s seeing all the problems and not the dreams.

Maybe he’s right.

His comment made me think. Sometimes you see someone saying “I’m living the life of my dreams”. So I thought: what if I put down what the life of my dreams would be for me.

I’m thinking it’s a useful mental exercise. So here are some points in no particular order:

• Keep my family together. I love my family. I love my wife, notwithstanding our occasional heated arguments. I’ve seen too many breakups, too many children caught in the crossfire between fighting parents. I want to keep my family together. I don’t ever want to see ugly feuds, any feuds.
• See my kids achieve amazing things in whatever they decide to pursue, however exotic their pursuits might be. Not to validate my parenting but because I’m fascinated by their characters.