This morning, I'm on an operating table receiving the world's most absurd weight loss surgery. So this is a guest post from my good friend, Tony Smith. He is the Resident Worship Leader at my church, Moon Valley Bible. He has three daughters, and in this article he shares some of his insights on raising girls. You can read more from him on his blog.
Truett Gibson Smith. This was to be the name of my first born, my son, Truett Gibson Smith. I even had it written on the message board outside of my college dorm room; that way I could see the way it sounded, as weird as that may seem, Truett Gibson Smith. You see, my long time girlfriend, who by those calculations would now be my very long time wife, was pregnant with our first child. Truett Gibson Smith was to be his name yet he never came to be.
Instead, the Lord saw it fit to bless me with a beautiful baby girl, and not just one, but over the last 8 years we have been given the privilege of ushering three lovely ladies through the trappings of life. Yes, three girls, but the estrogen train does not stop there. Our two dogs are girls, our cat is a girl, we even used to have a ferret who was a girl, and believe it or not my wife is even a girl. How is a man supposed to hold tight to his testosterone fueled existence in a den of dainty dames?
Sure 70% of the things in my house are the color pink, there are more dolls and stuffed animals in our possession then there are fish in the ocean, and I can now sing almost every Disney song, by heart, but I still try to inject some manly things into our everyday lives as well.
For Christmas two years ago I bought our (now) 8 year old a Daisy BB Gun. Sure, it was pink, but I needed her to be excited about it somehow. When she opened it, all I got was a sarcastic and disappointed, "A gun dad? Really?". I did not let this detour my excitement.
A couple weeks later I decided to take her out and show her how to shoot it. She was going to be the next Annie Oakley, and I knew it. We went to the store and bought safety glasses and some targets, then we were off to do some target practice. I took her to a local shooting spot in a desert area, known as Table Mesa, which is about a 20-30 minute drive from our house. We got out there, setup our targets, and as I'm explaining how the gun works a bug ran across the ground. A little black beetle about the size of a nickle walked by her foot, and that was all it took for a full retreat to the car. That was it, she was done, and there was nothing I could say or do to change her mind other wise.
Although I may not be turning my girls into manly men anytime soon, there are distinct advantages to being the only man in the house and that is that I am granted superpowers. I have the power to fix anything that breaks be it toy or toilet, I am super strong and invincible for no one is stronger than I am, nothing can hurt me, and I have super intelligence allowing me to help with homework and answer any and all questions regarding any subject imaginable. Now, in reality these may not be 100% accurate but in the eyes of my tiny trio I am all these things and more. My hope and goal as their father is to do everything in my power to never let them think otherwise. I will always be there help them in their time of need, I will protect them with my life, and I will always support them to the best of my abilities. These are the things as a father I must always strive to attain. I may not have a son to do manly things with, but I have three awesome little girls that make me feel like the manliest man alive.
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