Little Things

My daughter just had her last day of kindergarten. A milestone for all of us.

We began the countdown 10 days out. My wife and I were stumped as to why she seemed so excited to be finished with school -- she absolutely loves going. But there's something about a countdown that makes anything exciting. Maybe we'll try it next time there is a dentist appointment -- "10 days until the dentist!"

So I stopped on my way home from work to pick up a bouquet of flowers for her. I know, flowers for a 5 year old?! But it was quick and I felt better than nothing. I chose a mixture of all pinks, her favorite color.

When I got home, I had them hidden behind my back, and as I walked in, she immediately leaned to the side and asked what I had behind me and started giggling profusely.

As I revealed the flowers, he face lit up, literally, her mouth fell open and she laughed with excitement, and she said "For me?! What for?!"

I told her it was because I was so proud of her for doing a great job in kindergarten. She hugged me 10 times over and said she loved them. And she hasn't stopped smelling them, commenting on them and reminding everyone that they are for her. Much to the consternation of my cheeky 3 year old, who demanded an explanation -- with a stomp of the foot and arms crossed over her chest to add a little drama -- for why there wasn't a bouquet for her, too.

The lesson here in my path to understanding how to be a great dad: sometimes the littlest things have the biggest impact on our connection with our kids. I'll leave with a quote I found recently that sums it up well:

"What's great about the experience [of parenting] cannot be conveyed in short, simple anecdotes which often grate like cell phone ring tones. It is a series of small often forgettable, often unnoticed details and psychological repositionings that add up to a rich, full life. In miniature it requires the talents of a poet. Expanded, it takes the sensitivity of a novelist."