So I'm firmly in the camp of "miss the events and make money". Other will tell you differently. Not that kids whose parents aren't around don't whine or you won

So I'm firmly in the camp of "miss the events and make money". Other will tell you differently. Not that kids whose parents aren't around don't whine or you won't find a kid who has a "rich" parent who says they would have rather spent more time with them. That's what they say. But the truth is that's short sighted. Right on! When my father's job hook up in Dubai fell apart, he called my mom informing her that he can either return home to India to continue his struggling career or he can come to the US on a visit visa. My mom told him to take his chances and then spent hours tearing up, unclear how she was going to take care of four little kids. It would take another seven years before my dad could get the rest of his family here. For all of that time, I barely knew my dad(there was no VoIP:). But the end result--or even the goal--made it all worth it.