I love to play peek-a-boo with my twelve-week-old son. Except we don’t call it peek-a-boo; we call it ‘Where’s Dada?’ I love talking to him about my day and enquiring about his. I mirror his actions, drinking up his baby noises and smiles like honey mixed with wine. And I love reading to him. 

In terms of energy output, the commitment is marginal. I can do all those things with him sitting on my lap with a cup of coffee nearby. 

Yet, what takes the least energy from me is converted into high-tensile-strength emotional building blocks for him. My actions today are laying the emotional foundations for the man he will one day become.  

And it’s easy! It’s an absolute joy to play with him. The fact that my efforts double up as one of my most critical parenthood tasks is a bonus for both of us. 

Don’t believe me? Why not let seven-year-old (at the time of recording) Molly Wright explain the science behind it all in her excellent TED Talk – which I implore you to watch even if your kids are no longer babies. 

This reflection reminds me that just because it’s easy, that doesn’t mean it’s not a worthy pursuit. Similarly, not everything hard is worth your investment.