As an older father, right or wrong, I spend a lot of my time running numbers in my head. How old will I be when Monki hits certain milestones – when she graduates high school, for example, I’ll be 67. I’d kinda like to be around for those milestones (call me crazy, I know).

I also know the end can come at any time but even so, I’m doing what I can (and I can certainly do more) to tilt the odds in my favor. Because the thing is, and I never really understood it until she was born, but time does indeed move pretty quick. We, Rasa and I, marvel daily at the changes she’s made in the brief time she’s been here and check ourselves constantly when we realize it’s already been more than 13 months since she arrived.

A lot of people have touched on the subject of how quickly our kids getting older. Harry Chapin had several songs about it (Tangled up Puppet or the ubiquitous Cat’s in the Cradle), so I know I’m not unique. Then I saw this cartoon, by award-winning comic artist Dan Dougherty. He gets it. And sums it up visually in a way it would take me thousands of words to do.