OF SONS AND DAUGHTERS
By Jay de Leon

My daughter will be mortified to read this blog, but I will tell her what I usually tell my children as a caring father, “Get over it.” 

I am just wondering if all dads are like me, that they tend to get oversentimental about their daughters. 

Let me just set the scenario for you.  I have two boys aged 20 and 16, and a daughter aged 13.  I would say I was and am close to my children as a father could be. 

I would also say I probably indulged my daughter a little bit more than the boys, probably because she was a girl and she was the youngest.  We would color coloring books together, do puzzles together, and play board games and computer games endlessly.   In return, she would repay me with many hugs and kisses, and little notes and cards cut out as little hearts saying “I love you.”  She was demanding of my time, but I indulged her.  You see, I have seen enough siblings and other friends’ daughters to know this would not last. 

I read one book about daughters that I found most disturbing.  It predicted that I would be a hero and a best friend to my daughter until a certain age, normally around eleven or twelve, at which point I would turn into an annoyance and an embarrassment to her.  I was saddened to read that, once this stage started, it will be many years before I will hear that beloved girl of mine tell me “I love you” again. 

Needless to say, all the predictions have now come true.

With the boys, the opposite seems to be true.  As they grow older, the masculine commonality gets even more pronounced and the bond gets stronger.  By now, my boys are taller, stronger and quicker than I am.  Of course, they are now much better at the sports I used to teach them as kids, like martial arts, basketball, soccer and others. 

There are many more events we can go to now and not have to worry about the “age appropriate” factor, like movies, concerts and other events.  Occasionally, we might even be joined by girl friends, or friends who happen to be girls.

I will end on an optimistic note.  I predict that some point, the curve will level out again for both my sons and daughter.  In other words, I will be as close to my daughter again as I am with my boys.  That may take some time, like maybe until after the birth of the first grandchild, and I pray I live that long.

In the meantime, I just have to ride this out.  I will just have to pretend that her imperious pronouncement of “Aw, Dad.  You are so annoying.” is really her teen-ager’s term of endearment.