I'm well aware that there is no job more important than that of raising a child, but the problem is that it isn't valued.

La vida no es un párrafo y la muerte no es un paréntesis

Every time I think I'm about to seize the moment, it drifts back into the shadows, just beyond my reach.

As for him "feeling dead", that's probably just a consequence of him being gone from your life for so long. In some sense he no longer feels real to you.

If he does it with you, he'll do it to you.