We are all they have.

Many is the time when my wife and I are tired, sleepy, or busy with one of the many useless things we all occupy our days with that seem so incredibly important (like updating our Facebook status!!), and we have our daughter crawling all over us.
"Dada, fix my dolls dress!"
"Dada, catch me!"
"Dada, I want a snack!"
"Dada, I want Juice!"
"Dada, dada, dada......!!
Heck, sometimes she just walks around the apartment saying "Dada" and nothing else. It drives me up the wall at times, as it does my wife. She gets called on for a lot of things too. I'm sure many parents get to that point where they just want to yell at their kids "LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!!"
For any expecting or new parents out there, you'll get there.
What I have to do constantly during these 'patience trying' moments is take a step outside myself and look at the situation for what it is.
My child wants my attention.
This is not a bad thing. This is a good thing. After all, I am all she has! Well, she has a mother and grandmothers as well, but you get the point. We as parents are all our children have at this point in their lives. They are not in school yet. They really don't have any friends yet, none that they can see on a day to day basis!! Children who are raised by a baby sitter with five other kids are a different story, but for those of us who choose to raise our children ourselves, this can be a challenge. When they want to play, who do they play with? When they are thirsty, they can't just go into the kitchen, open the fridge and pour themselves a drink... they can't reach the counter top!! So who do they depend on? When they need help with a project they are engaged in, such as trying to take apart or put together their leggo blocks, who is it that they have to ask for help?
Us. Mom and Dad.
I myself have at times told my daughter to go to her room and stay there. I've done it in a nice way "Honey, why don't you go play in your room? I'll put the TV on for you!", but it is still me trying to get rid of her, and I feel like crap afterward. The saying that they grow way too fast is very true. Tomorrow she will be getting married, and I will be looking back, wondering what ever happened to her childhood and regretting not spending more time with her.
So, anytime my daughter wants to play or needs me for something, unless I have been playing with her for an hour and can't catch my breath anymore (which has happened!! lol.), I make the effort to give her as much attention as I can. I understand sometimes we truly are engaged in something that also needs our attention, like an important phonecall or a visitor at the door. However, I find that most of the times I am really not doing ANYTHING. Again, a Facebook quiz or a TV show is NOT important, and should NOT take away from me giving my daughter all the love and attention that she needs. This is an important time in her life where she is a sponge, absorbing all she can about life and her environment. Last thing I want to do is create a hermit who won;t want to give me the time of day down the road when I ask for it.