Change on the Fly (Totally Pucked, #1)

by Maren Moore

Being a parent means you and you alone are responsible for whether or not your child becomes a decent human being, and if that isn’t the most overwhelming pressure in the fucking world, I don’t know what is.

“Fuck yeah... parenting is scary. There’s no doubt about it. And you know it doesn’t get easier as time goes on. Yeah, you learn a little more as you go, but it’s like walking around in the dark with a blindfold and hoping you don’t fuck everything up.

I was never interested in barbies or dollhouses and definitely not dance classes. Reading and books became an escape for me.

“You are brave, buddy. It’s okay to be afraid sometimes because you have me, and together, we can be brave. We can face anything.”

“That’s what’s important to me. I’m not going to have the answers to everything, and I’ll probably have to call Ma, more often than not, but at least I’m here and I’m trying. I’m giving it everything I got.”

“I think that our future is always laid out for us, even before we’re ready to see it. Sometimes we’re comfortable in our lives and we don’t want to see the change that’s needed. That’s why people are so blindsided when their lives up and change, because they don’t want to face the truth.

“Two: Shout it to the world. I’m never going to not show my love for you. I want everyone in the goddamn world to know that I’m the bastard that’s lucky enough to love you, Holland Parker. I’ll put it on the jumbotron. On every damn billboard in Chicago.”

You’re both going to fuck up, you’re both going to make mistakes. But what does matter? It’s that you communicate and learn to work together through problems.”

“Change on the fly. You don’t stop, you change what you have to and finish out the game.”

That’s the thing about love. It’s messy. It’s not always easy. It’s not always perfect. It has to be willing to change, to reshape, to grow. To become more than you ever thought possible.

“Gonna give you a piece of advice, son. One that I don’t want you to ever forget. Love each other, even when it’s hard. Never go to bed mad, and always put your family first.”