Kids are SO worthwhile...
My daughter forwarded me an email just today to which she had simply added a single line at the beginning. She said:
I LOVE YOU DAD !!!
And here is the rest of the email, which she had obviously forwarded from one of her friends who had sent it to her:
When you were 8 years old, your dad handed you an ice cream.
You thanked him by dripping it all over your lap.
When you were 9 years old, he paid for piano lessons.
You thanked him by never even bothering to practice.
When you were 10 years old he drove you all day, from soccer, to gymnastics, to one birthday party after another.
You thanked him by jumping out of the car and never looking back.
When you were 11 years old, he took you and your friends to the movies.
You thanked him by asking to sit in a different row.
When you were 12 years old, he warned you not to watch certain TV shows.
You thanked him by waiting until he left the house.
When you were 13, he suggested a haircut that was becoming.
You thanked him by telling him he had no taste.
When you were 14, he paid for a month away at summer camp.
You thanked him by forgetting to write a single letter.
When you were 15, he came home from work, looking for a hug.
You thanked him by having your bedroom door locked.
When you were 16, he taught you how to drive his car.
You thanked him by taking it every chance you could.
When you were 17, he was expecting an important call.
You thanked him by being on the phone all night.
When you were 18, he cried at your high school graduation.
You thanked him by staying out partying until dawn.
When you were 19, he paid for your college tuition, drove you to campus carried your bags.
You thanked him by saying good-bye outside the dorm so you wouldn’t be embarrassed in front of your friends.
When you were 25, he helped to pay for your wedding, and he cried and told you how deeply he loved you.
You thanked him by moving halfway across the country.
When you were 50, he fell ill and needed you to take care of him.
You thanked him by reading about the burden parents become to their children.
And then, one day, he quietly died.
And everything you never did came crashing down like thunder on your heart.
If you love your dad, send this to as many people as you can. And if you don’t.., then shame on you!!!
I was just so touched, it moved me to tears.
I was touched because my daughter thought of me, and acknowledged that I am at least trying to do what is right for her.
But I was also touched because I don’t think that I can honestly say I got the same attention from my father. He was – is – unarguably a good man. He always cared and provided for his family, and his devotion to my mother, now that she is in a nursing home with Alzheimer’s disease, it truly inspirational. But in all my memories, he was in the background, working at his day job, or on one of his investments, in a never-ending battle to ensure that we wanted for nothing, and instead managing to deprive us of the most precious gift he had to offer — his time, his experience, his wisdom, his companionship.
His friendship.
And now, when he is in his eighties and despite living with us, his sense of duty means that he is not spending time with his grandchildren, again robbing them of the precious gifts he has, and robbing himself of the joy that they bring.
But maybe there is one more gift he has given me. He has taught me that just doing your duty, earning money and looking after your family, although admirable and even necessary, simply is not enough. You need to give of your time, your attention. Your self.
So Dad, I love you. Thank you for what you have done. I do understand it was the best you could do.
I just wish I had been given the chance to know you better as a person.
