#151: You Are My Hero!

All fathers know what it feels like. Almost nothing compares to it.

It feels like a long time ago.

You tell a story. She is amazed and cannot hear enough of it. You play with the ball. She cheers for you and wants to see more. You take her to a place you know she would love. She bursts into tears of joy and hugs you tightly. No father would ever forget those experiences.

As the father of a little princess, there is certainly a time when you believe (or hope) that you would always be her hero. And yet, time doesn’t stand still as much as we would want it to. She grows up, finds her own way, moves on, falls in love, wants to change the world, struggles to cope with everyday life. Nothing extraordinary, just life as we have been experiencing it ourselves.

Holding on or letting go?

There were moments when holding her tightly was what she needed. Even the smallest attempt to letting go was seen as a threat.

It is no longer the right question to ask. I am not in control. Thinking about it, I might have never been. All I did was respond to her needs.

It is not about me and I shouldn’t make it about me, which makes me feel a lot lighter about it.

I think she feels it, too.

Opening the fridge and seeing two of her favourite food items in there, made her say what still means the world to me.

«You are my hero!»