The father-daughter relationship transcends the passage of time

The young administrative assistant at the office where she worked until recently was smart, professional, organized, definitely a woman on her way to the corporate world. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her one day as a top executive in one of the Fortune 500 companies. But one day I saw another side of Linda that I loved.

Linda’s father stopped by the office to drop off a computer that he had repaired. My admin. The assistant jumped from behind his desk and greeted him with an exuberant “Dad!” She proceeded to give him a big hug. For the moment, the competent and calm professional gave way to the little girl who loved her dad and didn’t care that the whole world knew about it.

The incident made me think about how special father-daughter relationships can be and how they transcend the years. Linda’s dad was obviously well aware and proud that his daughter was on her way to a successful professional career, but a part of him would always see her as the little girl who rode on his shoulders, the girl he taught her to. mount it first. bicycle, the boy who sat on his lap while he read “The little engine that could”.

As for Linda, U.S You may have seen an older, gray-haired man before us, but for Linda, he was strong, young, and capable of almost anything. I could see the little girl in her as she proudly introduced us to her father. “This is my dad”.

In many intangible ways, the parent-child relationship remains with us through the years, for better or for worse. I have worked with enough fatherless children to personally know the harm that an absent or abusive parent can cause. Pain can last a lifetime. The positive effects of a father on his children can also last. Both girls and boys benefit from the presence of a mature and caring role model in their lives. Judging from the intelligent, confident, and warm human being that Linda has proven to be, I think she was blessed with a good dad.

Despite all the bad press about inactive dads in the media, I think most fathers are doing their best to do the right thing for their children. It is these dads, and their number is legion, whom I greet on Father’s Day. And take it from this old Poppy, for every ounce of effort you put into your vocation as a father, you will be rewarded many times over. There is nothing in this world as moving as hearing “I love you, Daddy” from your child, whether the child is four or forty years old.