I find myself amazed at the minds of children from time to time. If you have kids, you know that every once and a while they just come out with stuff that makes you laugh, cry, or just think about life.

One thing I really work hard on is spending equal amounts of time with each of my kids. This is time away from the taxiing I do all week long to their extra-curriculars. This week I took two of them out.

Spending quality time together doesn’t mean we spent hours and hours together, or to sit down and had a huge heart to heart, but what it means to me is just being together, and being real.

So, this week Charlotte and I were out and about. We had a few stops to make, and while we were driving from one spot to another Charlotte (sitting in the 3^rd row of the van) comes out and says “Dad, I’m so happy we are bonding”. I chuckled, and of course agreed. As we continued in and out of stores we talked about school, family, and just giggled about silly things. This is quality time to me.

My eldest and I also spent some time this week and that experience was completely different. She will be 12 this year, granted not for a while yet, but this year. One of the things that has happened recently is that she acquired a taste for coffee, which I don’t entirely agree with. We have allowed her to have decaf coffee on occasion, and while we were heading to the mall I asked if she’d like to have a coffee with me. Her answer was emphatically YES! When we arrived at the mall we went directly to StarBucks and we eat got an Americano, hers decaf with 2 sugars and mine leaded, black. Walking through the mall, browsing in various stores I noticed something, a swagger. I noticed the sense of “Look at me, I’m older, I’m mature, I have a coffee”. We talked about life, graduating elementary school, and activities she is involved in. Then it happened, we walked by a dress shop that had (high school) graduation gowns in the display. We HAD to go in. Next thing I know we are looking at dresses, and I’m being shown looks that she wants and dresses she believes she’d look good in. I won’t lie, I was overwhelmed. As a father I am not ready for my little girl to be growing up, changing, becoming a woman. It was a strange flood of emotion that came over me. It’s the pride you feel as you watch your child grow, make decisions and start to become her own person, and yet it’s laced with sadness knowing that this little person who you are charged with protecting, guiding and teaching is growing up and won’t require that part of you. I know what you’re all going to say, and yes I know I will always be there to do all those things, but it’s different when they’re little.

Well, I think I’ve blabbed on enough for this post.

The adventure continues…