It's late on a Friday evening. I've been toying with the idea of creating this blog for a while now.
You see, this is primarily about my daughter who I shall refer to as "ThunderChild". She's my muse, my very reason for existence. When I drop her off at school and turn the corner I miss her. When I wave goodbye on the mornings her mother takes her, I miss her.
I don't know if all daddies have this relationship with their little girls, but I do.
I was listening to the song "Edge of Glory" by Lady Gaga (the one where she sang on her own in the Howard Stern studio - Youtube Link) and realized that this is where ThunderChild takes me. I suppose it must be a little embarrassing for her sometimes, but she knows I love her very much, with all my heart.
But make no mistake, she can be quite moody when she wants to. What's really interesting is that I often know how to handle her, because she is very much like me. So when a specific situation arises that I recognize as something that might happen to me, I know what to do. However, sometimes we just push each other's (wrong) buttons - it's then that I tell the wife "You handle this, because I'm going to throttle that child.".
I'm also so very proud of her. She does OK at school (goes to one of the best schools in Pretoria), but for some strange reason really enjoys Maths! Would you bloody believe it? She came to me with a maths problem this week - but before I carry on let me just explain that in general she likes to do things herself. Anyways, she was just struggling a little and couldn't figure out the elusive x. We quickly went through things about right-angles, 180 degrees and opposite angles being equal (sort of). About a minute into the problem "Dad, it's OK. I figured it out myself. You couldn't help me!!!". Oh well, at least I was there.
Talking about "there". You see, you mustn't be too close to TC, but also not too far - just within reach. I've had to learn when to totally ignore her (at school with her friends) and when to hold her tight. It's just so cool learning how to handle your daughter, especially when she's so much like yourself.
Got a call from her on Thursday: "Daddy, there's a chance I might be playing hockey this Saturday. But it's with older people". OK, quickly, TC is just into her teens and has been playing hockey for about 8 years now and gets withdrawal symptoms when she can't play (holidays etc). Looks like the team she and a friend will be playing for is one of the adult teams in the league. This was arranged by one of the teachers at her school. Good for her (TC, that is). I'm so proud of her. Just know she's going to love it. She'll lay it all on the field and at the end of the game she'll be smiling from ear to ear, be grumpy because she's tired and thirsty and the pass out in the car. Of course the batteries for the camera are charged, so I'll most probably be shooting about 150 to 200 shots tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to it. Anyways, she did come home with the hockey socks and shirt to wear, so I guess they will be playing. Word of caution to the other players on the field - don't underestimate TC and her partner (they play defence). She'll flatten you in the tackle.
OK, the Jacobs coffee is working itself out now, so let's leave some story telling for the next time, shall we.
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