The Transition Continues
With the exception of two short periods of time, nearly all activities with my daughters have been with all of us. There were some individual things at school or with friends, but for the most part, it has always been the three of us. The first period that I referenced, my older daughter, got all of the focus as I was waiting on the arrival of her sister, a process that took nearly two years.
But for the next sixteen years, it was the three of us. With her older sister away at college, and making her own plans, this year my younger daughter, for good or bad, has been able to receive probably 90% of the focus from me. All the years between, I feel I did a good job, sharing “me” and my attention equally between both, making sure that both of my daughters needs were met, and wants to could be taken care of whenever possible.
With my older daughter, all of my fatherhood decisions were “on the job” training. With my younger daughter, decisions came out of experience, things I learned from the first time around. It is safe to say, that I am certain that both learned everything that I felt was important to succeed as adults. My younger daughter has benefited from the experiences of her older sister, with any adjustments that I needed to make along the way.
My older daughter, well on her way to establishing herself is preparing for her next year in college. My younger daughter is preparing for her first year of college. It is hard to believe that nineteen years of fatherhood has blown by so quickly, as I focus on the decisions that need to be made for tomorrow, with the images from yesterday, that I hold close to my heart.
Paul's Heart 