To my daughter,
I pledge as your father too;
Always do my very best at protecting your young eyes and impressionable mind from the cruelties this world has to offer you.
Prepare you for life as an adult by allowing you to fail with gentle guidance towards success.
Tell you no and mean it.
Dance with you for no reason at all..
Allow you to be a princess when you feel like it, while celebrating the moments your tomboy rules the roost.
Understand that crying isn’t just for girls but big dumb old dads as well.
Not punch the first boy who dumps you and makes you cry. Unless you want me too?
Take you fishing without your brothers.
Teach you to hunt.
Brag about you not only when you are not around but when you think I can’t see you.
Have tea with you, even if that includes your horse and the two goats.
Hold your hand.
Take you on ice cream dates once a month.
Embarrass you in public. It’s just good clean fun and lends you to developing an awesome sense of humor.
Teach you all the devilish, sneaky and sometimes cruel ways of the adolescent boy.
Teach you all the even harsher ways of the mind bending adolescent girl.
Remind you on a regular basis that before someone else can love you, you need to love you.
Remind you that I love you.
Always answer the phone when you call no matter what time it is.
Pick you and your friends up anytime day or night if you have partied a little to hard.
Always call you “my little girl”
Walk you down the aisle on your wedding day without crying in front of your future husband.
Support what ever career choice you make, it’s not for me to like or dislike your choices, only to gently give you my opinion as an elder man with many experiences under his belt.
Teach you no matter what some friend, boyfriend, or stranger may try to convince you, your father will always listen to what you have to say. I may not always have the answer but I will do my best to find one.
Let you see me fail.
Always tell you the truth.
Remind you there are evil men in this world, but none as ruthless as your father when it comes to someone threatening, hurting, or stealing his daughters innocence, self-worth or life. I will find them and I will make them pay.
Try my very hardest at being a good dad, I will let you down on occasion as you will I. We are human therefor mistakes will be made, but as long as you know in your heart I will always love you there is nothing we cannot conquer together.
Love dad….
They call me Betty 