I believe fathers (being males) know how 'fragile' their girls/daughters are. It's probably a sense of insecurity in our/father's subconscious. We want to be the first man in our little girl's life and work hard over the years to teach her and to safe guard her well so she won't fall prey to the "devourers".
So, I have always tried my best to do right by Daughter Dear. Often, reminding her that the instruction manual that came with her at birth was 900 pages, with chapters 3, 11, 14, 19, 26 and 32 missing, and it's badly translated, hard to figure out... so if I and when... and I did... ever screwed up, she would hopefully understand.
So along the way and over the years I taught her;
- How to make goofy faces
- How to make ice cube Popsicles
- Appreciate nature
- Matches and lighters are dangerous
- She is intelligent, confident and independent... capable of doing anything
- She's never to old to be scolded and feel my wrath
- Her father knows best
- Cool a burn
- She's never to big for hugs
- Be persistent... try and try and try again
- Not to fear the dark, spiders or creepy crawling bugs
- Be careful when cooking
- Keep a first aid kit handy and well stocked
- Iodine really does sting
- How to say "no' and mean it!
- Make sure you have a safe fire escape method for all situations
- Bribe her mother with Hagen-Dazs, it always works!
- Puberty was hell for me too
- How to pray... to remain humble and grateful
- Tollhouse cookies are worth the work
- Always keep emergency contact telephone numbers on her
- Humility is important
- How to make sandcastles and build forts in the backyard from boxes
- How to make and sail paper airplanes
- Her father (me) will always defend her... no real need to look elsewhere to find protection
- Her 200+ uncles in UFFW will defend her too!
- Check your smoke detector monthly
- Her father knows best
- How to skip rocks across the river
- How to spit and whistle
- How to eat Oreo cookies the right way!
- Tell Know-It-Alls "to mind their own business"
- Boys/men should treat her with gentleness and respect
- Trust her instincts but consult with me too!
- How to swim and basic emergency first aid
- The importance of learning CPR
- It is much more attractive to create a modest and authentic look
- Family traditions are important
- How to read and have an appreciation for libraries
- How to dominate in a snowball fight
- The value of honesty and integrity
- Everybody's a critic
- Patience is important
- I divorced her mother so we could remain friends
- Her family will always be here as a complete unit for her to depend on... she is an extension of me, so I am always with her
This may be where the whole "daddy's girl" and "mama's boy" originated from. Of course, this is my opinion.
None the less. I hate it when I have to speak those four words to Daughter Dear "I.TOLD.YOU.SO." followed by three more "FATHER.KNOWS.BEST."
Seems Daughter Dear is making her way back home with all her belongings and a broken heart. This time for good. ::insert those four words here:: It's very unfortunate that life is not like baby shampoo... it certainly doesn't come with a "no more tears" guarantee. So I guess we'll just chalk these past couple of years up as a shitty experience ::insert those four words here, and we'll just move on because... as I have said before... Father. Knows. Best.
She has chosen to come and spend some time with me before moving back in with her mother. Is this a good thing? Is this a bad thing? I just want to know ..........
FOR.HOW.LONG???
