My daughter walked into the living room the other day with that overly calm expression teenagers get when they’re about to drop life-changing news.
She cleared her throat and said, very seriously:
“Dad, I think you should cancel my allowance. You might as well rent out my room. Go ahead and toss all my clothes out the window. You can take my TV, stereo, iPhone, iPod, and laptop too.
Actually, while you’re at it, donate all my jewelry to the Salvation Army… or sell it at Cash Converters. Sell my car. Take my house key. Throw me out.
Disown me. Never speak to me again.
Oh—and don’t forget to update your will and leave my share to my brother.”
Now, of course, she didn’t exactly say all that.
She simply smiled and said:
“Dad… this is my new boyfriend.”
And in that split second, my imagination filled in the rest.
Daughter’s Text to Dad
Later that week, I got a message from her:
Daddy, I’m coming home to get married soon, so get your checkbook ready. LOL!
As you know, I’m in Australia and he’s in the US. We met on a dating site, became friends on Facebook, had long chats on WhatsApp.
He proposed on Skype, and now we’ve had a two-month relationship through Viber.
Dad, I need your blessing, your good wishes… and a REALLY big wedding.
Lots of love, Lilly ❤️
I read it twice.
Then I took a deep breath.
And replied:
My dear Lilly,
Like… wow. Really? Cool. Whatever.
I suggest you two get married on Twitter, have fun on Tango, register for gifts on Amazon, and pay for everything through PayPal.
And if you get tired of this new husband, just sell him on eBay.
Lots of love,
Dad
Sometimes being a parent means smiling through mild panic. Sometimes it means pretending you’re calm when your heart just skipped three beats. And sometimes, the only proper response is sarcasm wrapped in love.
Because at the end of the day, no matter how dramatic the entrance, no matter how shocking the boyfriend reveal, one thing remains true:
Dads will always overreact in their heads…
And daughters will always keep them on their toes.
Hope this gave you a smile today! 😄