Moms and dads are used to picking up and dropping off kids, patrolling homework operations, directing cleaning duty in bedrooms and keeping the refrigerator stocked for the inevitable raids by our kids and their friends. We also introduce the idea that folded laundry would be better if it were in the owner's dresser drawers, we plead with children to take out the garbage before the receptacle falls to pieces and emphasize that shoes are more content when paired with their mate. There's no getting around a few of the details of daily life. There has to be some order, and there are lessons in that as well. However, I want to make sure that I infuse enough golden moments so that the memories we can make every single day aren't overshadowed by drudgery.
Life is more than that.
Feeding the ducks at Medical Center Park costs nothing more than a loaf of bread. Panhandle sunsets caught over Lake Meredith are dazzling and free. Visiting Palo Duro Canyon requires only a few dollars, and no matter how many times we go there, we're never less than awed. With the mercurial state of the stock market, making this kind of investment in a memory with our children can't help but yield high returns. And there's absolutely no risk involved.