As a dad, today is one of those days to which you look forward with a little bit of hesitation, a little bit of excitement, a little bit nervousness, a little bit of joy, a little bit of worry, a little bit of comfort, a little bit of protectiveness, and a little bit of anxiousness.....yet despite all of these mixed emotions you have A WHOLE LOT OF PRIDE.
You see today my 15 year old daughter attended her first Winter Formal as a freshmen in high school. WOW....15 years old!!!! Wow....freshmen in high school!!!! Am I really this old that my daughter is attending high school formals? (please no old jokes)
You see I still remember the day she was born like it was just yesterday. It was December 14, 1997, it was a Sunday. I felt all along in my heart that the baby we were expecting was going to be a girl, but I KNEW it was going to be a girl when she decided to be born on an NFL Football Sunday.
You see it didn't even bother me that the Dallas Cowboys lost that day to the Cincinnati Bengals 31-24 and fell to 6-9 on the season because at 6:19am my life as I knew it had changed. I was now a dad. A proud dad of a 5 pound 13 ounce little girl. A little girl that would have me wrapped around her finger from the moment I cut the umbilical cord until the day the Lord takes me home.
I know that I've not always been the best dad in the world, and there were probably times where I should have been here when I wasn't. But I also know that there has never been a moment since 6:19am on December 14, 1997 that I have ever loved anything more than I love my little girl.
I get mad, upset, irritated, and everything else with her like any other parent does, but I wouldn't trade her for anything. ANYTHING!!!!!
So as today got closer and closer my feelings about it were all over the place. I was happy for her to be so excited about it, but I was not excited that she was old enough to be attending a formal already. I was excited to see how beautiful she would look in her dress, but I was not excited about her being all dressed up and looking older than she is. I was not excited about a certain boy that was supposed to be her date, but I was excited when he realized that he wasn't good enough for her and "broke up" with her just last week. You see.....I was being a dad. A dad with a teenage daughter.
She is a great kid....she has her flaws, she is human after all, but I am really proud of the young lady she is becoming.
I can't believe that she is already in high school, that she is 15 years old, and that she is becoming an independent young lady already. But I also know that 15 years after the day when I welcomed her in to this world, I am still a very proud dad, and I hope she had a lot of fun at her formal, but at the same time....I hope it's a while before her next one. She is growing up too fast. I love you baby, and you looked beautiful today.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9I5UV4VWCSk
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