Have you ever noticed how life often goes in circles?
You start in one place and end up in another and somehow the second place strangely resembles the first?
Such is the circle with dads and their little girls.
For example, this is Rachel Grace, aka 100% Daddy's Girl.
I say that with very little tartness or animosity.
I have come to terms with the fact that the kid just adores her Dad and has from her first breath.
When the twins were four months old, Mark left on a business trip for the week.
The minute we dropped him off at the airport, Rachel started to cry.
She literally cried the entire week.
I took her to the doctor, certain she had an ear infection. Nope.
I took her for rides in the car. No help.
I gave her warm baths and rubbed her back. Useless.
After four solid days and nights of crying, my nerves were frazzled.
My neighbor came by to check on me and when she saw the distressing, lamentable, miserable state I was in, she packed up the babies and took them home with her.
I collapsed into bed, feeling like a failure.
Later that night I buckled the babies in and we headed to the airport.
The VERY moment Mark got into the car, Rachel's crying CEASED.
It stopped as abruptly as is started.
She cooed and smiled at her Dad all the way home.
And that is pretty much how the last 12.7 years have gone.
Pure and utter devotion to her dad.
She makes sure Mark is taken care of, she sings to him and writes love notes.
She starts planning his birthday and Father's Day weeks in advance.
She quickly agrees with him, even when he is wrong.
I wish I had a quarter for every time me and poor Linc have taken a back seat to Dad.
Mark just smiles smugly, shrugs his shoulders and reminds Rachel that it is absolutely her duty and obligation to teach Samantha everything she knows.
Just last week, I was telling Rach about something sweet that Mark had done for me. Her eyes got all teary and she declared, "Daddy is the best!".
It is with that understated background that I move to part two of my story.
About a year ago, Rachel came to us with a problem.
"No boys like me," she stated.
"Some boys think I'm nice and some boys think I'm smart, but that's it."
"Hmmm." I said.
"GOOD!" Mark cheered.
Maybe it's because I'm a head taller than most of them, she continued.
Maybe it's because I'm Linc's twin sister, she theorized.
Maybe, they just don't think I'm cute.
After a few minutes of listening, we were ready with some words of advice:
Mark reminded her that she does not need to worry about boys liking her until she has her first date at around age 30.
I thanked him for his empathy and sensitivity.
Being the somewhat wise and relatively all-seeing mother that I am, I gently made a prediction...
Rachel, I said.
When you get to 7th grade, things will change.
Boys will start to notice you.
Boys will start to like you.
You will have lots of boys trying to get your attention.
We hugged her and sent her off to bed and that was that.
Fast forward a year and I have been somewhat shocked with the accuracy of my foresight.
Apparently, there is something about jr. high that makes boys come out of the woodwork.
In the past month, she has had boy after boy ask her to "go out" (this is where you publicly declare that you like one another), one boy tell her that he loves her, several offers to buy her a soda at the State Fair Field Trip and one proposal of marriage. (Yes, I'm serious)
Things are definitely a changing.
Boys that used to come over to see Linc are now coming over to see his sister. Last week, he said that a kid asked him, "So Lincoln, when is your sis.. umm I mean when is your birthday?" He said that another boy wrote all over his hand "I Love Rachel".
My favorite was a boy from school who found my name on Facebook and sent me a message introducing himself and asking if I thought he had a chance with Rachel. I guess if all else fails, play the win-over-mom card.
Wow has this ever been a drastic turn of events.
So far, Rach has turned down all of these declarations of teenage love.
Oh, one boy has caught her eye, but Justin Beiber and David Archuleta are still tops on her list at the moment.
Mark hasn't been as amused.
It's not so funny to him.
Here is a harmless example of Rachel showing off her newly made flip flops to one of Linc's buddies.
Dad is not that thrilled.
Maybe he was serious about the first date around age 30 comment or maybe he just sees the first small glimpses of the fact that he will only be Rachel's first love until her first love comes along.
All too quickly she will be grown up. In the coming years there will be many likes, a few loves and a broken heart or two along the way. The love letters to Daddy will decrease, disagreements may arise and he will probably slip a couple of slots from his Prince like status.
Poor Mark.
He's got a little over three years to prepare for Rachel's first date, I hope that's enough time.
When that day arrives, it could potentially cause Mark to cry like a baby.
If that happens,
I'll tell him to take a relaxing bath,
I'll be there to rub his back and take him for a long ride in the car.
That drill will seem all too familiar to me.
....And so goes the circle of dads and their daughters.
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