Parenting is as live as improv theater. The rest of the troupe is here, the audience is here, and there's only one take. 

When I started my job as a dad, I thought I'd always be able to give it my best. Not in a presumptuous way, but in a will-try-really-hard kind of way.

But real life is messy. Kids get tired; parents get tired. There are a million things to care for and problems to deal with. As good of a juggler as you might be, dropping some balls is inevitable.

There will be times when you'll say stuff you regret. Times when you lose your cool. There will be times when your kids behave in a way that is incomprehensible to you.

It can be disappointing. This is not the life you wanted. You wanted it easy. You wanted it perfect.

Fair enough, that's what you wanted, but it's not what it is. Now what? Now, you continue improvising. 

Parenting is often about saying "Yes, and ..." 

It's about finding ways out of situations that are less than ideal.  Either because you messed up, someone else messed up, or life happened. 

You have to be the bouncing-back engine of your family. You must be creative and intentional in helping your loved ones move forward. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it has to keep the play going.