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June 2007
Father’s Day
For years, I played the role of good son every June. I would venture out, get a greeting card, find something golf related and wish my dad a Happy Father’s Day. And then, it was over.
This year, that Sunday in June was much different. It was the first Father’s Day with my daughter. And it was more than just another Hallmark holiday to check off the calendar.
My wife and daughter decided to bring me breakfast in bed. The doughnuts were great, but my daughter crawling up the bed to give me a kiss was much sweeter. The gifts were nice, but just the fact that I was now a father was unbelievable. What can be a better gift than a toothy grin from a 15-month old?
One thing I found out, sometimes the gifts are as much for others as for the father. One present I unwrapped on Father’s Day was a CD which is quickly becoming one of my favorites - although I am slightly embarrassed to admit it. It seems that the Veggie Tales characters broadened their horizons a bit and did some remakes of ’70s tunes.
Now, if you are not familiar with the Veggie Tales, I don’t have nearly enough time to bring you up to speed. But there is something about a cucumber singing Proud Mary or a tomato singing Car Wash that just makes you want to get up and dance. And if I do, the look on my daughter’s face quickly makes me stop the disco moves.
Father’s Day was very special for me this year, and I think I now have a better sense of how important it has been to my dad through the years. There are now several days a year that I ridiculed as “Hallmark holidays” that I will see much differently. Parenting has taught me many lessons, and this is just one more. And I am sure there are countless more to come.
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Week of firsts
Imagine what it would be like if the basket moved in basketball. Or how much more difficult a round of golf would be if the hole danced around the green.
That must have been the way the stylist recently felt when my daughter appeared for her first haircut. She seemed content when she had one comb to play with, and appeared to be in heaven when given a second one. With a comb in each hand, she smiled and played. And then the cutting began. There were no tears or screams of terror, but there also wasn’t a little girl sitting as still as a statue either.
After several snips on the bangs, the stylist stepped back and said it was “time for the big gun.” I wasn’t sure what she was referring to at the time, but when she returned with a smile I knew what she had in mind. In her hand was the “big gun” - a lollipop. So, here was my daughter getting her first “American” haircut while enjoying her first lollipop. She was a bit apprehensive at first, but it didn’t take long for her sweet tooth to enjoy what she had. Surprisingly, she even offered to share her “hairy” lollipop - when she wasn’t spreading the sticky mess all over her face.
Just several days later, we decided to continue our week of firsts and take her to the beach. Despite the grandeur that is God’s creation of the ocean and the beach, I really believe that little Dum-Dum lollipop was much more thrilling for her. We heard some kids are terrified their first trip to the beach, but not my daughter. She looked around unimpressed at the people, the waves, the sand - the whole nine yards. She did motion to get in the water, but we weren’t quite ready for her to get down in the sand. I had visions of the sand becoming like that lollipop - all over her face, and probably in her mouth as well.
So, we will make a second trip and let her get her feet wet. And I am sure there will be many more trips to the beach after that, as well as many more haircuts and lollipops.
As with any child, there are many firsts to experience. And we enjoyed these recent firsts like we have the others. I think I will grab a lollipop myself, sit back and see what she does next. The journey is always full of surprises.
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