I was sucker punched today. No, it wasn’t done in malice or spite, but in love and kindness. Carlos over at Ragamuffin Soul caught me in the gut with such an impactful punch of a blog post, I had to stop and get my own thoughts down on “paper”. From Carlos:
“My 6 year old looked at me in the eye today and asked me if I would go out on a date with her.
I told her yes.
In the back of my head all I knew is that I have a flight to catch and 55 phone calls to make.
2 hours later there are 55 people mad at me for not calling them back and I am late to my flight…
But she…
…is in love with me and they never will be.
When you work for yourself, are behind on the mortgage, have sickness in the family, have a client waiting for something, are a lonely stay at home mom, or any other “grown up” problems…
Remember…
Your six year old will not remember those problems, just that her dad said “I’m busy”.
Los”
The most obvious, yet frightening, truth of my stint as a dad? My girls absolutely, without compunction, depend on me like no other person.
Dads have a daily challenge to balance work and family. Yes, I know all you moms out there that have the same problem, but, really, dads have this problem (blessing) that is uniquely bestowed upon them by The Creator. Our daughters’ healthy sense of self worth “…hangs precariously on their relationship…” with their dad – me. (quote from Bringing Up Girls
ME! The guy that can’t seem to get my tail off the sofa after a “long hard day at the office” to put a God given princess to bed. ME! The guy that can’t seem to remember what it feels like to feel small and sad after being chastised, hard, by a parent that loses their temper. ME, with all my faults, am given a heavenly responsibility to be the knight in shining armor to my girls? Really?
From Bringing Up Girls
“You (fathers) will make the difference in your daughter’s life.
You have to – because, unfortunately, we have a popular culture that’s not healthy for girls and young women, and there is only one thing that stands between it and your daughter. You.
Fathers inevitably change the course of their daughters’ lives – can can even save them. From the moment you set eyes on her wet-from-the-womb body until she leaves your home, the clock starts ticking. It’s the clock that times your hours with her, your opportunities to influence her, to shape her character, and to help her find herself – and to enjoy living.”
–excerpted in Bringing Up Girls
, by Meg Meeker
Yes, me. I’m my daughters’ earthly father. I have been given a great gift – and a great responsibility. I am the Knight. But is my armor shiny? Is my steed strong and swift. Am I the chivalrous knight that they deserve and need? With God’s Grace, I certainly hope so.