Thanks Girls!

This is a re-post from 2015 

To my daughters on Fathers' Day,

You kids made it easy.  Though I probably wasn't Father of the Year material, with more than a little luck we all made it.  Your mother didn't kill me and both of you girls became successful in your chosen professions and life in general.  All of this in spite of my untutored and, shall we say, unconventional parental guidance.

Hey, in my defense, your mom and I didn't know what we were doing!  Practically children when we married, the two of us hauled you into the world before our union had lost that new car smell.  We were complete novices and in hindsight it's probably close to a miracle that we (okay, I) didn't mess you up monumentally.  You really were troopers through it all, far more flexible than boys would have been.  All the moving that came with the radio business, the odd family hours we kept because daddy had to get up at 3 AM, and the multitude of "interesting" friends who always seemed to be around didn't bother you at all.  Well, at least you didn't let on.  You both made the best of an often chaotic existence and I'm proud of you for it.

Maybe if we had waited and been more mature parents with traditional occupations your formative years would have been a little easier.  Who am I kidding?!  That would have been leagues less difficult but, I dare say, not nearly as much fun.  Perhaps it's just selective memory but I do think there was an abundance of laughter in our house when you were both little.  The thought of returning home to you every evening became my safe harbor in a life dependent on a check from one of the most insecure professions on the planet.  You kept me sane. Granted, sanity is relative when it comes to Dad but you catch my drift.

So, on this Fathers' Day weekend I thank both of my lovely daughters for being such good kids and for making me look as if I had a clue.  Growing up I had no sisters but you two helped to fill some of the massive gaps in my understanding of the fair sex.  Your mom knew that I still had a long way to go but with your help in another hundred years or so I'm certain to be a regular on Oprah.  Well, at least I'll weigh as much.

I'll close by saying that even though we're miles apart you can always rely on old Dad for the sage advice you've come to depend on through the years: "Better ask your mom."  For sure that's a long distance call these days but I know you know she's still listening.

That's it. Thanks for making me a proud father and grandfather on this Sunday but also  every other day of the year.  Now, who wants to pull daddy's finger?