Slow Motion: Another Dad Moment

Not my child. Not her dress.

My 10-year old daughter is beginning to enter a realm where the times my impact on her is
plainly seen are fewer. I hate to see her grow, but love seeing her grow. Ya know?

My six-year old daughter, however, still frequently reminds me how important I am in her life. There are moments with the older one, still, but the little one is all about daddy.

This morning, while getting ready for school, her first choice of the day's attire was dirty, having been worn twice already this week (Said "yes" to day two, but three was pushing it). The next choice, even by my standards, was not a good one, because it's PE day at school. Her third choice left her uncertain, but she put it on.

As she brushed her hair, she kept looking at her dress (I made her put bike shorts on underneath. After all, it's gym day) and moving altogether too slow for my taste. Finally, I said, "Sweetie, you look beautiful. I love the dress." BOOM. Smile and a whole 'nother gear. Now we're moving toward getting out the door. 

As she bounced around and as I tied my tie, I realized I had made an impact. I replayed her smile in my mind and thought of how she needs to hear things from me. The same thing from mom is good, too, but when daddy also approves, it must be good. I need to be reminded of that from time to time. Reminded that I am important. Reminded they need me.

I'm forever telling them how smart they are when they've done something well, pointing out when they've been a good friend, or when they've shown generosity, and so on. Little girls don't just need to hear they're pretty, but when they do, it is meaningful.

I live in a home full of girls, including the two kittens we recently acquired, so rarely do I get to say, "Dude, that superhero shirt is killing it!" I don't even know if that's something that would be said.  But, I'm sure something appropriate would carry as much weight with boys as with girls.

I like moments like this. When everything is moving at the speed of light, when I can't even think clearly because of all the activities and time flying away, a moment where I clearly see my child's smile and happiness in slow motion is priceless.

 Image courtesy petuniad.

Things I'll Miss: Mispronounced Words

I know I've already forgotten some of the mispronunciations out of the mouths of my children. Here's just a few I can recall at the moment:

Billabar - meaning, boulevard
Skush - discuss; as in "Do we have to skush about it?"
Callipitter - caterpillar
Daddy Town - as in Gatti Town (children's pizza joint)

Billabar has already ran it's course, so has skush. Callipitter is still around. Daddy Town just won't go away.

I'll miss those words.

Let us know some words you've heard. I hope it will jog my memory for others I've heard.

Things I'll Miss: The Automatic Hand-Hold

When walking with my daughters, all I need to do is put out my hands and I get an automatic hand-hold from both of them.

They aren't little angels that never get into mischief and always answer with a "Yes, ma'am" or "Yes, father." They are angels in my eyes, but still average little American girls in most every way. They do, however, still want to hold their daddy's hand, in most cases.

I've seen evidence this, one of the things that can make my day on most any day, is coming to an end. The youngest is only five-years old, so I have several more years of hand holding with her, but her sister is nine.

The evidence of hand-hold apprehension was minimal, but detectable. Recently, at the grocery store near her school, where the probability of bumping into her friends was heightened, I put out my hand as we crossed the street. Could've been a mere oversight on her part, but, to my surprise and a little confusion, there was no hand-in-return. It took an "Uh, hello" prompt to get an "Ooops" and a hand in return. I thought little of it at the time.

Later, however, I recalled that, as I had walked her down the sidewalk of her school in the mornings, for at least half the year, she hadn't held my hand. Could've been mere coincidence and her hands may have been full on at least 100 occasions.

"Could've beens" notwithstanding, the probability is that The Daddy Years will soon come to an end. At least there's enough time for me to learn to advance to the next level of fatherhood, whatever that may be.

Things I'll Miss: Uncontrollable Excitement and the SHUEI

One of the many nice surprises I discovered on becoming a father was the joy I get when seeing my children smile. Children's smiles give parents, for at least a fleeting moment, the knowledge that the kids are happy and they must be doing something right.

If you're a parent, you've seen at least three different smiles. There's the "smile for the picture" smile, which is nice. Then the "Yay, pizza for dinner" smile. But, there's also the "Smile with Happiness, Uncontrolled Excitement and Interaction," or the SHUEI. The SHUEI (pronounced shoe-e, or schway, if you prefer) is usually accompanied by never before seen hand, arm, leg and body motions. Often, shrieks, laughter, running, yelling, jumping, hugging, and squatting are prevalent. Without supervision, injuries can occur. That's the biggest, best and most genuine smile. It comes from deep within.

My nine-year old still has a strong SHUEI and my five-year old is quite good at it. The sad thing is, you don't see many teenagers implementing the SHUEI. I can't remember the last time I had a good ol' SHUEI. Before it becomes a thing of the past, I have to get it on video.

I will miss it.