Tonight, I sit here reflecting on love and the bond I witness every day in my home. It is a love I have been fortunate to feel my entire life and one I observe with a smile. It is the unique love a father has with his baby girl.
The bond of a father and a daughter is unique and unparalleled in many ways. It changes year to year (and sometimes day to day). At first, it is pure strength and a source of complete comfort. At times, it can be a full of discipline. At others, it may simply be a shoulder to cry on. The truth remains, it is whatever it needs to be because a father is always there for his girl.
I fondly recall the moment I first watched Brendan hold Kelsey. It was careful and cautious. It was different than the way he held our son and the way he gazed down upon her sweet face told me everything that I needed to know. We were in trouble. It was new love at first sight.
As the daughter of a strong, dedicated, selfless, and loving man, I grew up knowing that he was always there for me. I live that same type of love with him year to year. My husband serves as that same pillar of strength for our daughter that my dad has always been for me. It is a vastly different love than I can provide, and it grows stronger by the day.
Over the past few days, Kelsey was unable to have her dad beside her during the morning injection. His necessary role is to scream “cheeseburger” at the top of his lungs and provide a hand to squeeze thereafter. It has been a void, and we have all felt it. Absence has made me realize how deep the father-daughter bond is and how it is vital in our lives. A video recording of the scream and the hand of her brother to hold have just not been the same. No one can truly substitute for your father.
And to that point, who have I called on for help, support, and a driver when my husband was away? My father. Who will always answer the phone and “be right there” for me or for my children? My father. It is a vastly different love than my mother provides, and it grows stronger by the day.
Fathers, the world needs your dedication and your daughters need your love.
Thanks for being the men you are exactly when we need you to be: today, tomorrow, and always.
My dad died when I was 27 years old. So many years have passed but I still miss him and that special bond we had. Even as often as Joe and Cyndi butt heads, he is the one she calls for advice. That father/daughter is so different and so special ! I’m so glad that you have that support, Jen.
It is a truly unique and special connection. I think that the head-butting is also natural because the apple never falls far… 😉