Daddy-n-Daughter Day

Recently, Magen David's sixth grade girls celebrated the wonderful bond that is shared only between a mother and daughter. After many months of preparation, the girls were thrilled and excited to perform before their mothers, aunts, sisters, grandmothers and even great-grandmothers.
From an article at http://www.imageusa.com/communityarticles/communityevents/magendavids7thannualmotherdaughtercelebration.html

I like father-son and mother-daughter events, but sometimes I'd like to see a father-daughter or mother-son event.

I'm blessed with two sons and a daughter, all young adults now.

I like to think I'm close to all of them.

To be honest, for most of her life, my daughter and I were at odds. We had our moments when all was right with the world. We used to go to the local private airport to watch helicopters, then to a nearby playground where she played in the sandbox, a pleasure her mother preferred she didn't enjoy quite so much. (Mother worked Sunday mornings and I had to have our daughter "cleaned up" after our outing before Mom came home.)

But when she hit the teenage years . . . Well, let's say they were our "difficult" years.

Now in her 20s - barely, but 20s none-the-less - and living in Israel, things have changed; it seems we are back to the pre-teen connection.

"Daddy" is back; it's Daddy this and Daddy that.

I confess it's nice to be a "daddy" again. (To the boys I'm "Pops" or "Dad" or "Abba"; that's OK, too.)

I went on a week-long trip with my #2 Son when my daughter was maybe 10.

Too old, I thought (and, frankly still think) for a girl to go traveling with her daddy.

But maybe I was wrong. Maybe if we had gone on a daddy-daughter bonding trip her teenage years would have been easier on both of us.

No, I have no problem with father-son and mother-daughter events, but maybe - just maybe - some consideration ought to be given to daddy-daughter and mother-son events as well.

Something more than "take your child to work" day.

Yohanon Glenn
Yohanon.Glenn @ gmail.com