All Thumbs
Jenna turns 15 today.
In celebration, let's take a spin in the Way-Back Machine and look in on young Jenna...
When Jenna was almost 6 years old she was upstairs in her bedroom playing. I walked into her room with some clean laundry and saw that her pillow case was no longer on its pillow; rather, it was strewn across the bed. Interested in why she did this, I asked her "Who took your pillow case off of your pillow?"
"India did", she innocently replied.
India is our cat.
So I asked again.
"Jenna, who took your pillow case off of your pillow?"
"India did it, Daddy."
Lying isn't cool. Now I've gone from mildly curious to mildly annoyed.
"Jenna, I'm going to ask you one last time. Who took your pillow case off of your pillow?"
"India did it, Daddy. I saw her."
"Okay," I replied, "You can have a time-out in your room thinking about why that isn't possible."
The waterworks began. "But why daddy?" She cried, "I don't want to be in my room. Why do I have to be in my room?"
"Because, honey, you lied to me. There is no way that India took your pillow case off of your pillow."
Shocked at the parental detection skills, she bravely asked, "Why isn't there?"
"Think about it."
After a few minutes I asked if she knew how I knew that she was lying.
"No," she said honestly. "How?"
I held up my hands with a wild "thumbs up" motion. "Because cats don't have opposable thumbs! They can't grab anything! Even if India wanted to take your pillow case off of your pillow she could only go so far before she realized 'Darn it! I don't have thumbs! Curse my lack of thumbs!'"
We both laughed and laughed at the idea of India being really pissed off because she didn't have opposable thumbs to cause mischief with.
Last week, nine years later, Jenna sent me the following photo:
Once again, we laughed and we laughed.
Once again, we laughed and we laughed.
I am so very glad that I have a daughter who makes me laugh.
Happy birthday Jenna!
Love, Dad
posted by Andy at 9:07 AM
9 Comments:
So sweet. Funny that I had a very similar opposable thumb discussion with my daughter not too long ago. Happy Birthday, Jenna!!!
No, Victor did not read your blog...nor did he respond to your lovely posting about your beautiful 15-year-old daughter, Jenna. I didn't realize that I was logged in under Victor's account. I'm sure he wishes Jenna a happy birthday too though.
I love the story, especially the title--how all dads must feel about their growing daughters and how to love them without breaking their masculine hearts.
Much too late, huh, buckaroo?
What's "Much too late", Cindy? I'm not following...
In response to your first comment, Cindy - I have always been able to love my growing daughter even as I know that someday she will leave me for another man's house. It is the natural order of the universe. Yet, I take comfort in the fact that Jenna herself has told me "No matter how old I get I will always be your little girl".
I'm good with that plan. :-)
Happy Birthday Jenna! 15 is such a great age. Still able to act like a kid if you want to....and three months from now, you get to start planning your sweet 16! Go wild, daddy's paying!
Much too late for her to have broken your heart--it usually happens the first moment you lay eyes them as babies. And then every moment after that. I think it's their job to break us open again and again. It keeps us from getting old too soon.
Cindy, now I understand...and I completely agree.
Well said, my friend. Well said, indeed.
Can't wait until I get to start explaining the wonders of the universe to River. Great story! Happy 15th Jenna!
Post a Comment
<< Home