her Prince Valiant

teejay

I've always liked the sound of thunder, so when it came last night, it was comforting to me.

When I walked through the bedroom were the wife and daughter were watching TV. Sitting on the wife's lap, the daughter said, "Daddy, help me."

I asked what was wrong. "She's afraid of the thunder," the wife said.

"Thunder get me," said the daughter, as fear was clearly visible on her beautiful face.

A lump came to my throat as I felt her fear and need for a helper. I picked her up and carried her back to the living room where I was lounging on the sofa, watching football. I snuggled her in next to me and covered her with pillows.

"Thunder get me," she repeated.

"Don't be afraid of the thunder, baby. Daddy's here. I'll keep you safe."

She sighed, thinking about what I said, and a little smile spread across her face. She relaxed, got comfortable, and said, "Football."

I am her castle, her moat, her legion of knights in shining armor. God, I love being a father.

Esmeralda

teejay, your post brought tears to my eyes. So simply and elegantly you spoke volumes about the monumental privelege, and responsibility of parenthood.

Always cherish that sacred trust as you do now and I am sure that no matter how old your daughter gets, she will still come to you when she's afraid.

I know that despite rocky teenage years and early twenties turbulance, now at the age of 30, my Dad is still my hero.

Thank you for your post!

*hugs*
essie
(mother of a cherished daughter!)

You Know

God, I love being a father.

Now you have some idea how Jehovah feels. You also might project how he will feel when the final assault is made upon his sons and daughters, and why that attack will provoke such a thunderous response on his part. / You Know

teejay

Es,

I'm glad you enjoyed my tribute to fatherhood. She's only two, but I'm trying to keep her as small as I can for as long as I can. I never refuse to pick her up whenever she wants it... I find it hard refusing her anything that is in my power to give her, now that I think about it. She *IS* an awesome responsibility, but more than that, a privilege, the absolute light of my life. I am awfully glad that she is here.

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Yes, You Know, since becoming a father I can more deeply understand the role in ways that were a mystery for me for years, whether it's god or a fellow human father whose acts and motives I'm trying to understand.

It also enforces my disbelief that an all-powerful, all-loving father would for centuries stand idly by while his children suffered the slightest injury, to teach them "something." Or how such a being could ever bring the sort of mayhem and destruction on the beloved family of his making that I once believed that Jehovah would bring at Armageddon. The whole idea has become even more preposterous to me since the birth of my daughter.

I'm not mad that YOU believe it, though. Keep swinging, YK. Keep swinging.

peace, Es and YK,
tj

bigboi

Hey teej:

Man, that's a wonderful experience right there man. I look forward to becoming a father mos def. I've always wanted a daughter. I glad to see yours has a dad that cares for her so much. It's important for young ladies today to grow up with the proper idea of how a man should treat them. Keep it up main, a kid can never get enough of the love stuff. Stay up man. Holla at me later.

ONE....

bigboi

"life's a bitch a with a g-string and a twelve pack of Busch."

COMF

Ah, yes, I remember it well. Mine are 24 and 26 now. Savor every moment, Teejay. It passes more quickly than you can imagine.

COMF

Pete

What a great vignette, teejay.

I hope you're taking plenty of photos and videos -- because they grow up so quickly. I'm sure she'll enjoy reading this "moment" later in her life. She'll be grown before you know it!

Kids are fantastic -- especially when they turn out well. My three are grown (20, 23, 24) and they are the most important things in my life.

Give your daughter a hug for me!

Pete
pmf

teejay

Bigboi,

... a kid can never get enough of the love stuff.

My thoughts exactly. I intend for her to get all that I have.

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COMF,

Ah, yes, I remember it well. Mine are 24 and 26 now. Savor every moment, Teejay. It passes more quickly than you can imagine.

Too bad. I see that time already, when she's a teen and not as close to me as before, wanting to hang out with her friends and not her dad anymore. I know that time is coming, so I'm enjoying every moment of the here and now. You can believe that.

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Pete,

I hope you're taking plenty of photos and videos -- because they grow up so quickly.

Lots of both. A camcorder was high on my list when we found that my wife was pregnant, so I have video of her moving in her mother's womb, going to the hospital the night before she came, the equipment readouts in the birthing room on the day of her arrival, etc, etc, etc., on up until a few days ago when she chased me in the backyard with a water hose. I have video of people like her maternal grandmother who have since passed, video of her grandmother holding her and talking to her when she was only an infant. I will make copies to give to my daughter, when the time comes.

On the way to work the other day I heard that adults laugh only 10 to 15 times a day. Well, they need to hang out with a 2yr old. That would fix that!

teejay

I thought of this thread today because of the staggering incident plastered all over the news.

All day, I followed the happenings in NY, like the rest of the Nation. Like the rest of the world.

And I became my daughter. I became afraid of the present and the future. I yearned for someone to help me.

"Help me, Daddy," I felt like saying. "Thunder get me."

waiting

Howdy tj,

I hope you're taking plenty of photos and videos -- because they grow up so quickly. - pete

My daughter is now a beautiful 30 yr. old woman. She's had a tape cassette she cherishes all that time. It's of her (around 3) with her great-grandfather (great-grandmother laughing in the background.) They've both been dead now over a decade.

She plays it once in a while - and says it never fails to bring tears to her eyes. All of them laughing together.

I listened to it once with her. We used to call her "Squeak" because of her high-pitched voice. And there she was.....in all her little wonder - just fussin' away as she always did.

Good memories are a gift. If you pass them on to your daughter - she'll cherish them too, I would suspect.

Take care, tj.

waiting

her Prince Valiant

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