Things a Father Learns From His Daughter

I am a father of a 4 year old and a 5 month old.  The 5 month old pretty much lies there, eats, and poops, but the 4 year old has taught me many things.  There is rarely a day that goes by that she doesn’t amaze me with something she does or says.  Here are a few things I have learned from her the last four years.

Kids can be much more logical than you give them credit for.

My dad passed away when I was 21 years old.  My oldest daughter knows my mother who she calls RaRa and my grandmother who we call Nanny, but one day she asked me who my daddy was.  I had to explain to her that he died and was in heaven with Jesus.  I guess she was thinking about death the next day when I was driving her to daycare, because we had the following conversation

Daughter-“Will I die and go to Heaven with Jesus?”

Me-“Most people die when they get older and they will go live in heaven if they are good.”

Daughter-“Nanny must be really bad.”

Me-“Why would you say that?”

Daughter-“Because she is really old and still lives with RaRa.”

Kids can pick up technology much faster than I can.

My daughter has been using the iPad and iPhone for a couple of years now.  She loves playing educational games, looking at pictures, watching videos, and playing Angry Birds.  She can successfully navigate the aps and features of these devices without any issues.  Last week I received an email from her daycare that said her class would start using desktop computers this spring to enhance their curriculum. M wife and I were both concerned because Kennedy only had experience with iPhones and iPads. Turns out that we had nothing to worry about. After a two-minute tutorial by my wife, my daughter quickly got the hang of using a desktop and a mouse. She was easily able to navigate the Nick Jr. and Disney Jr. websites and play various learning games. About 1 hour later, she comes in and said, "Look what I did." She had printed out several full color copies of princesses that she had dressed up and changed their clothes. Although slightly amazed that she picked the desktop up so quickly, I still have no idea how she learned to print. Lord help us all if she learns to shop online like her mama too.

Kids hear more than you think and take everything literally. 

During a recent downpour, I mentioned that it was “raining cats and dogs.”  For the next hour, my daughter stood at the door anxiously awaiting a kitty or a puppy to fall from the sky.

I am a huge college football fan and my favorite team is Texas Tech.  Former Tech quarterback Kliff Kingsbury was recently hired to replace the hated Tommy Tuberville as the head football coach of the Red Raiders.  I suppose my daughter overheard a conversation my wife and I were having about Kingsbury and the hire.  The next day, we had this conversation.

Daughter-“How can a berry be a king?”

Me-“Uh, they can’t be kings.  I have never known a berry or any other fruit that has been a king.” 

Daughter-“But you said the new ball teacher’s name was King Berry.”

Kids love you unconditionally.

Whenever I have a bad day at work, I can feel better instantly with one hug from my daughter.  She is always excited to see me and always runs to the door when she sees me coming in the door.  With one hug or kiss from her, the troubles of the world just slip away.