As a harried father of two, I would say time is the obvious answer since my days and nights are preoccupied fulfilling all the myriad tasks needed to keep a toddler and a baby alive and healthy.

But on further consideration, freedom is actually my scarcest resource. If I look hard enough, there are pockets of downtime in parenting. For example, I just spent two hours with my toddler at an indoor playground. While he was excitedly catching up on his play routine, I found time to write a freelance article I had been commissioned to write.

On the other hand, I have limited freedom. After becoming a father, I find my social life dwindling to nothingness. I can’t even choose what I want to eat these days because I have to consider the food my toddler doesn’t want eating. (His diet consists mainly of chicken burgers and French fries.) To be honest, I sometimes feel suffocated because I think I am missing out on life. I used to lead a pretty active social life but these days, the furthest I venture is the shopping mall nearest my house.