I love being a parent. Being gone for so long I really missed my daughters even though two of them no longer live at home (most of the time). The few days spent with my daughters after Maui were awesome.
Reconnecting with them reaffirmed my long held belief that every stage of parenting is a blessing. Some recent highlights of having college age and teen daughters.
- The other night I was at home and Bethany and Elise were just jamming for about two hours on the piano and bass. It was so good because they are talented like their mom. What a blast to listen to them play, sing, laugh, try new sounds and songs.
- A few days later Bethany calls and wants to go to a Nuggets game. We went down, bought some great tix from a guy on the street for a few bucks and had a blast!
- My daughter Robbin is started her last semester in college this week. One of the classes she is taking is "The History of Baseball". How cool is that? I am really anxious to vicariously take the class through her.
- Elise gets up early every morning and moves with great precision and is out the door at about 6:45AM every day. It is a bonus that she loves coffee and gets it going before she leaves.
- Robbin came over the other night to redo her budget. It is pretty simple because she has no money to speak of, but.........she also has no debt and plans to keep it that way.
- Elise and I had the chance to talk through some dating stuff - very cool (mostly)!
- Bethany and I are going to the symphony in a couple of weeks. It will be time to get dressed up and make a super cool memory.
- Robbin is interning at the Denver Rescue Mission and we are talking through future possibilities at DRM or maybe Italy, or who knows where.
Yes, parenting is challenging and is full of frustration, heartache, and disappointment at times. However, I think that parenting is mostly what you make of it.
I heard about the "terrible two's" but they were awesome times of discovery. People find out I have three daughters and sometimes it is as if they feel sorry for me. Are you kidding? A dad with three girls is a blessing beyond words. "Three teenage girls - yikes"!No, it is a blast and demands my best as a dad.
More than I ever imagined, I get to share a ton of life with my girls. Music, movies, sports, tears, laughs, hurts, mistakes, relationships, academics, adventures, and most of all a pursuit of Jesus.
For someone who is pretty independent, this shared life is, Life-Changing!
