A Parenting Contradiction

One of the perks of parenthood is getting to experience again the joy of childhood through the lives of my children.

I get to watch kid movies.

I get to read kid books.

I get to color with crayons.

I get to wrestle.

I get to wander through the yard in search of treasures and critters.

I get to play on the playground.

I get to play tag and hide-and-go-seek.

I get to believe in Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy.

So, if being a parent allows me to revert in some fashion to childhood, to participate in childish activities and live, in those moments, a carefree existence, why does...

...my body have aches in joints and muscles I didn't even know existed?

...my body pop and creak anytime I stand up or sit down?

...my hair sprout grays exponentially?

...my face grow wrinkles at an alarming rate?

...my hands look more like my grandma's and less like my sons'?

Parenthood: The Fountain-of-Youth for the heart and soul, the Aging Accelerant for the body.