Daddy's Little Girl - Memories of my daughter

My extended, highly nuclear, childhood family is based in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. My own family now lives in Memphis, Tennessee. Daddy's Little Girl was conceived in MN but born in TN - I tell you these things so you will understand the background for this wonderful tale:

When Daddy's Little Girl was about 3 yrs old, my parents flew in to visit for a week. Grandpa and Grandma (as the kids know them) now travel quite a bit, but this time was pretty much a first. Everyone was quite excited -- we were going to the airport to get Grandma and Grandpa!!

As my parents got off the plane, our son and daughters ran to greet them, with big hugs all around. My dad had picked up Daddy's Little Girl to get her hug and as we started to chat and catch up a bit, she slowly rubbed her hand across my father's clean-shaven chin. Then, in all seriousness, she looked him in the eyes and aked:

"Grandpa, are you a man?"

I thought everyone was going to bust a gut laughing! We weren't quite sure where that came from... until I realized that I had not shaved since Daddy's Little Girl was born -- her "main man" had a rather full beard, and in her lifetime, always had.

So Grandpa had to forgo shaving for the duration of his trip, so that his beard could grow in and his granddaughter could rest assured that Yes, he was indeed a man. :)

All our children were day care children - my wife and I simply both had to work to support the family.

Many were the times we'd spend a few minutes watching the children play before we'd take them home - just a few minutes to watch them interact with their peers, to get a glimpse of their day, their sense of fun.

Needless to say, we knew something was up when we asked Daddy's Little Girl what she and her friends were playing. It looked like a typical group of 4yr olds playing house, but there were a few things that didn't quite fit.

"We're playing hotel, Daddy" was her reply.

Interesting. "And who are all your friends and what do they do at this hotel?"

She proceeded to name all the little girls she was playing with - this one was the maid, this one worked at the front desk, this one was the cook.

"And what do you do honey", I asked innocently enough.

"I'm the owner - I make sure they're all working" was her matter of fact reply.

Today, as mentioned above, she has completed her masters degree in accounting and has set her sights on becoming a CPA and running her own business. Who knew... besides her, that is. :)

Remember when you were in high school, when you had to learn how to create and balance a budget? It was so much easier then... if the numbers didn't work out right, you could just give yourself a raise until they did!

Now that Daddy's Little Girl is on her own, we get some of the strangest visits and phone calls. Like the time she was 'shopping' thru our kitchen! Seems there was a bit more month left at the end of the budget and she needed to 'borrow' a few things... trash bags being the one thing I most readily recall. "I'll bring them right back" was the phrase that was uttered when asked what she needed them for... as if used trash bags were something I was keenly interested in! :) I politely declined to require that she bring them back, but I did limit her to just a few bags, not the whole box she was intending to 'borrow'.

"But Daddy!" is a phrase I seem to be hearing a lot more of these days.... :)

We have breakfast every Saturday with the whole family. So, when Daddy's Little Girl started to relate this tale of woe, it was all my dear wife could do to keep from busting out laughing.

Seems Daddy's Little Girl has a problem with her beau... one that is starting to manifest itself in a way so parallel to my own affliction that it's just plain spooky.

He works for a local GameStop store. They had just completed a remodel - total redo of the store interior.
I worked for a computer VAR (Value-Added Reseller). We were constantly upgrading client computers.

Part of the remodel included removing all the neon signage inside the store. Perfect good working neon tube signs - they just were not part of the new decor.
We were always replacing perfectly good components with ones slightly newer/better.

So he grabs three of the signs, with permission of the store manager, and stuffs them in his car.
I'd constantly be grabbing cards/parts that the techs didn't want to mess with anymore.

Before leaving for home, he stops at the video store next to his store and picks up some DVD movie that Daddy's Little Girl has been wanting.
I'd hit the Best Buy on the way home, if I had a particularly large box of 'stuff', and pick up another Godzilla, Mothra, or other B-monster movie.

When Daddy's Little Girl gets home from class, she's 'surprised' with both the movie and the three signs. Which are rather large for their tiny apartment (how do two people live in only 700 sq ft?).
I'd try to sneak in the parts slowly, but somehow it never worked. And my darling wife always knew I was up to something... I think it was the monster movies.

By this time, my poor wife is nearly unable to sit upright. She's got her hands covering her mouth so she doesn't start laughing hysterically, but you can still see the corners of her mouth have nearly reached the corners of her eyes.... she's having a really hard time holding it together.

"So I told him he can't keep those things in the house - he's got to take them to Daddy and sell them on eBay!"

I thought my wife would double over and just die. That was the last straw for her control. She actually started hopping in her seat!

Daddy's Little Girl didn't have a clue... so I filled her in... that her beloved was showing symptoms of the same disease I suffer from -- eBay Augmented PackRatItis. My own case progressed from buying just a few things for my 'collections' to, at the time she had moved out on her own, filling three rooms of our home, our garage, and an outdoor storage building. Since 2003, my 'hobby' has become a full-time business, soon to be moving into our first real "office", along with some 1200sq ft of rented storage. I wish my daughter the best of luck in helping her young man deal with his budding affliction. Unfortunately, it's kinda like drinking or smoking - easy to start, very hard to quit. :)

Yessir... they most certainly do marry boys just like Dear Old Dad!

When I was growing up, rock music was something we played loud to irritate our parents. It had electric guitars, a strong beat, catchy lyrics you could remember, and it said something about our angst. Or so we believed at the time, being teen-agers.

So it was that I was totally stunned when Daddy's Little Girl announced that she wanted to go to a rock concert for this new band she'd heard. She was , I believe, just 15. This was to be her birthday present for that year - to attend a concert, a real live rock-n-roll concert!

Now, normally my Overprotective gene would have kicked in and I would have forbidden her to attend such a foul influence as a rock-n-roll concert! However, this time Overprotective was overruled... because the band she wanted to see, her latest new band fad, was none other than Aerosmith!!

And it wasn't because Aerosmith was such a decent, clean, upstanding group (that honor had gone to The Beach Boys years earlier, a concert the whole family attended). Nope... it was because I'd never gotten to see an Aerosmith concert when I was a teen-ager (guess I got that gene from my parents!), and quite frankly I wanted to go!!

So we did!

We went to see Aerosmith as a Daddy/Daughter thing... and it was a LOT better than those Daddy/Daughter banquets put on by your church or school!! This concert rocked! And it was interesting, in a weird kind of way, to be singing (ok, yelling, screeching, belting) out the songs I'd known as a teen... and have my own daughter doing the same right by my side!

But I also learned two important things that night:

1) Daughters can be great fun! We had a blast, starting with a quick meal before the concert, a lot of fun at the show itself, and then buying a couple souvenirs afterwards. Even the ride home from the concert was fun!

and...

2) As you grow older, your ears grow older too. In particular, the parts inside that are directly involved with hearing. And as they grow older, they are a bit slower to recover from the volumes heard at the average rock concert.

OK, so maybe my ears were numb for a couple days afterwards, and I wasn't hearing things too well for a few days beyond that even. But it was worth it to spend that time with Daddy's Little Girl!! She only grew up once... and I'm glad I was there!

The big day was upon us... the one that had been 'impending' for nearly two years... the day many father's dread and every father knows will come sooner or later -- his daughter's wedding!

Now, the event itself, as a whole, was spectacular. My wife did an excellent job of getting things pulled together, with the help of a very wonderful professional organizer, and I will be the first to admit I was extremely impressed.

My daughter was absolutely stunning - but perhaps I'm a bit biased. :) Makeup, hair, the dress - it all came together wonderfully on her special day, and she was indeed 'picture perfect' (her own opinions aside).

Walking my daughter down the aisle... that has to rank right up there alongside holding her for the very first time -- it's one of those experiences that only happens once and you thank God everyone is looking at her, so they don't notice how misty-eyed and mushy-kneed you've become.

Then the minister asks "Who gives this woman"... and for a moment, you panic! Woman? This is my daughter, and she's far too young to be getting married. But time waits on no man, and our little girls do grow up. So we summon our courage and try not to croak as we admit "Her mother and I do" give her away.

And then, just like that, you're done. You can go sit down. She's a big girl now and can stand on her own, every bit the equal to the man who is now vowing to take your place, to be her protector and her guardian. And just then, if you are very lucky, your wife will squeeze your hand and let you know that this too will be OK.

And with that, you understand the look you got from her father, when it was you and she who stood up there, so much in love. And you hope and pray that your daughter's marriage will be as strong and as wonderful as your own.