Parents.

So I was talking to my boss, who is a single father to two teenagers. He is having some problems with his 18 year old daughter. He was asking for my advise on how to "connect" with her. And I suggested he take her on a father/daughter date. Just the two of them, dinner and a movie or something....well he rolled his eyes and said he didn't like that idea. That is was weird....and it got me thinking about how lucky I am to have the best parents in the whole world.

My mom is my best friend and everyday I start acting like her more and more and more and more (UGH!) ! But I am also extremely lucky to be very to close to my dad as well.

Some of my fondest memories are of my father/daughter times.

Like every Valentine's Day for many years the Army would host a father/daughter dance. I would get a pretty new dress and get my hair done all pretty. My dad would buy me a corsage, take me to dinner and then to the dance. It was always so much fun, I remember him looking so handsome in his dress blues and us having so much fun dancing the night away.

We would go out to dinners here and there.
Trips to the grocery store or to Stupid-Mart

He would randomly pull me out of school and take me to lunch.

Freshman year of college he took me to St. Louis for a few days. Just me and him. We went to the Zoo, went to the Arch, rode go karts, ate at the Old Spaghetti Factory (yumm!) and had a great time!

And next week we are road-tripping to North Carolina! Just me and my dad!

Having these relationships with my parents, especially my dad, has made me the person I am today. I hold all the lessons they taught me close to my heart. I would never want to do anything to disappoint them. Had I had a different upbringing, where I didn't spend quality time with my parents, I can't say what kind of a person I would be today.

I only hope that one day....[in like 5 years]...I can do the same for my children.

It makes me sad that my boss does not have that relationship with his daughter, that just simply taking her to dinner is "weird" for him. I hope that he can try and step out of his comfort zone and take a little interest in her, and spend some quality time with her.