Oh Chris, this is beautiful, and if your daughter ever reads it, she will be so touched, I’m sure. That said, I think it’s hard for any parent to be as present as they would like to be. My guilt is around working during periods I should have been spending with them. And while money was my excuse, I know that it was also the act of doing something that felt a long way from the monotony of the daily grind of motherhood that I craved. A distraction.