The one regret every parent fears

Read time: 1½ minutes

Welcome to issue #029 of Unicorn Parents. Each week, I share practical insights and reflections to help you build a profitable business without missing the magic at home. If you’re serious about winning at work while raising great kids, you’ve come to the right place. This is a community built for ambitious parents who want both.

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I was rewatching videos and photos of my kiddos tonight.
Automatic smile.
Like muscle memory.

My mom always says, “The only thing that remains are pictures.”
I used to think she meant nostalgia.
Now I know she meant gratitude.

Because I’m a reasonably smart guy… and yet I forget so easily.
The wonders that passed.
The tiny voices that changed.
The moments I swore I’d remember forever—gone unless I revisit them.

Kids grow so fast.
Faster than our hearts can keep up.

And even when we love them fiercely…life gets loud.
Work presses in.
Ambition accelerates.
We miss moments without meaning to.

With Thanksgiving here, I’ve been reflecting on what I’m truly grateful for.

Not the big achievements.
Not the deals closed.
Not the milestones posted online.

But the quiet things.
Little arms reaching for me.
Unexpected laughter from behind me.
A random “Daddy, watch this!” that pulls me out of my adult world.

That’s why you’re here—why you joined Unicorn Parents.
Because you don’t want to miss the magic.
Because you believe in being present, even when life tries to pull you somewhere else.

Thanksgiving is supposed to make us reflect.
But for parents, the reflection is sharper:

These ordinary moments?
They’re the ones we’ll ache for someday.

Here’s what I keep coming back to:

You can rebuild a business.
You can find another job.
You can restart a career.

But you cannot rewind childhood.
Not one second of it.

And if my kids (at any age) want to spend time with me?
I’m going to prioritize that like it’s oxygen.
Because I know one day, I’ll scroll through these photos again and realize…

These weren’t just moments.
These were gifts.
Blessings I didn’t earn but was entrusted with.

So this Thanksgiving, here’s my reminder to myself…and maybe to you:

Things move fast.
Kids grow faster.
Be grateful for what’s in front of you.
Don’t wait until it’s a memory to realize it was the miracle.

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