Ara and I recently had a cute little online chat you might enjoy. He emailed me a picture of his son and daughter. His daughter just had her Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, and as I viewed the picture the following conversation transpired:
EsmayDean: Looking at photo. EsmayDean: Damn you must be proud. EsmayDean: CUTE kids. EsmayDean: I feel very, very sorry for you.I told Ara he should show it to her some time. She'll be mortified. :-)AraR: they are fabulous people.
EsmayDean: She's 13? Within four years ALL your hair will be gone.
AraR: I'm killing the first boy who comes to the door. I figure that'll keep the rest of them at bay for a while.
EsmayDean: This is wise.
EsmayDean: I learn at the feet of the master.AraR: I'm just saying.
EsmayDean: I want a daughter one day. Rose and I hope to have two more, and we both hope at least one is a girl.
AraR: everything you've heard about fathers and daughters is true.
EsmayDean: You know it's funny how we see ourselves in them, and we also tend to take credit for their best traits in how we raised them.
EsmayDean: And yet the truth is: they are who they are, in some ways, right from the beginning.AraR: right.
AraR: God shuffles the deck made up of cards collected from both parents. Then he deals them a hand.
AraR: Then you help them play the hand he dealt them.EsmayDean: Good way to put it.
EsmayDean: Can I quote you?AraR: be my guest.
I know exactly how he feels since my daughter will turn 14 in two weeks.
Most of my hair is already gone so I don't have to worry about that.
I have my eye on a Mossberg that I will probably buy as soon as I start working again, which will take care of the other.
What a wonderful analogy (metaphor?).
Nothing warms a father's heart more than hearing his almost-17-year-old cheerleader daughter say, "The other cheerleaders are so boring. They just want to talk about boys. I don't think any of them read." My prayers are with you, Ara!