A Note to Fathers With Girls

There's something like a line of gold thread running through a man's words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself. ~John Gregory Brown

I think my clock was missing a few hours yesterday -- because I sure didn't get anything done before it said it was bedtime. I have got to figure out how to better manage my time...

DD is feeling very insecure about her hair. She asked me a half dozen times yesterday if I really thought she looked good with shorter hair (she does -- it makes her look grown up... maybe I should make her keep her hair long?) and I reassured her.

Then DH comes home, and I know he was just joking, but it was really bad timing on his part. He hadn't seen her haircut the day before, so last night said: Wow! Your hair is chopped... looks like you got in a fight with a weed-whacker and lost.

I swear, I wanted to hit him.

Here's the thing. I don't think men can really understand how deeply sensitive girls tend to be, especially about their appearance. I can remember many, many times something was said to me in jest (like my stepfather saying, "Have another serving of mashed potatoes, my plump little dove." or my drama teacher saying -- when he came upon me eating a candy bar -- "You aren't going to put on any more weight before the production are you?") that really tore down my self-esteem.

I've talked to him about it, and sometimes I see him make an effort (last weekend when we went to the confirmation and were all dressed up, he mentioned that he had the two best-looking girls with him, and DD giggled and preened), but then he wrecks it all.

So -- any men out there with daughters... please be aware that even when you're joking, and even when we know you're joking, it still erodes away at our self-confidence.

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You Are Balanced

You are a peaceful and content person. You don't ask too much of yourself or those around you. You are confident and self-assured. You never try to be someone you're not - you believe that you are enough. You have a healthy skepticism about the world. You don't buy into a lot of mainstream values. You've found a better way to live - through deep reflection and understanding yourself.

Are You Bouncy, Bold, Behaved, or Balanced?

And again I respond: HAHAHAHAHA... no. Okay, some is right, but when I see the first sentence all I can think of is, uh NO.

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