My New Year's Eve "Party"

J.R. and I rang in the new year together at home while Gabriel slept. Our evening was not so different from others: Chinese take out, piña coladas, watching Scrubs, and tuning in for the last four minutes to watch the ball drop. We turned in shortly after midnight. We may have been inclined to stay up later, but we were tired, and Gabriel is not about to sleep in just because his parents decided to stay up later than they probably ought to. It was a simple night, quite unlike the last several years, in which I have stayed up late at New Year's Eve parties. Yet, the night was perfectly acceptable and appropriate. In fact, J.R. and I both enjoyed ourselves a lot.

As any parent knows, life as parents is different than life before having children. Different, however, is not equivalent to "bad," "cramping my style," or any similar sentiment. In my case, life as a parent has proven "infinitely better," and "enriching," among several other positive differences. I would not trade our current situation, blessed as we are as parents, for anything, be it more money, more free time, or any other objective good. Life as a parent is both objectively and subjectively better in my case. I thank God for blessing us with a child, and making us a family, early in our married life. As we have learned firsthand, there is no comparison between the joys of parenthood and the fun to be had at parties.