We had just ordered our food when I turned to my daughters, Monique and Victoria, and said, “Go!”

Next door to the restaurant was a boutique, and I knew that they wanted to shop.

Monique quickly uttered the obligatory, “Are you sure you can watch the girls?” as she stood and tried to catch up to Victoria, leaving her daughters Charlie and Olivia in my care.

I remember the years of raising children. Just going to the mailbox was a welcomed break.

A few minutes of retail therapy was exactly what Monique needed.

Just as dinner was served, they returned with new shirts and shoes. The ladies at the table next to us (who appeared to be about my age) occasionally looked our way and smiled at Olivia and Charlie.

As soon as dinner was over, we began to clean up the rice that had escaped Charlie’s plate and wipe up the soup that never made it to Olivia’s mouth.

“I know, I know,” Monique sighed as she knelt on the floor picking up rice. “You’re about to tell me that one day I’ll miss all of this.”

“No way!” I said.

And that’s when our new friends at the next table stopped smiling. I guess they didn’t expect my answer.

“I do not miss cleaning up after kids. I don’t miss mounds of laundry or stepping on Lego blocks and Barbie’s high heels. But I dearly miss my five children sleeping under the same roof, reading towers of books over and over again and listening to sweet conversations at bedtime.”

Parenthood is filled with highs and lows woven by lots of hard work. I’ve chosen to not add guilt to already full plates by telling young moms and dads that they need to enjoy the rough parts.

When Monique was born, I committed to be present in every phase.

I dismissed the temptation to yearn for the past or anxiously await the future. That decision allowed me to endure the tough times, enjoy the sweet moments and embrace every stage of my children’s lives.

It’s still my plan.

Ronny Michel may be reached at rmichel@rtconline.com.