What does it mean to be the daddy of a little girl?
I know that in my house growing up, it meant many things.
My dad grew up with 3 sisters. He then had 2 daughters and a female dog. He was a life-long swimmer in the estrogen pond, so to speak.
In some ways, my dad is the consummate guy’s guy; he is an athlete, an avid sports fan, and he’s exceptionally good at math. Did I stereotype enough for you, there?
However, he is also the ultimate girl’s dad.
For him, being a daddy to two little girls meant dressing up as Miss America for Halloween. Let me tell you, a 6’2”, cobalt, lacy nightgown clad Miss America is not exactly inconspicuous.
Being a daddy to two little girls meant making up secret languages and games, like letting me hide in his small closet, over and over again, only so that he could find me and “throw me out like a sack of potatoes”. I must have played this with him for hours on end, each time believing that I would be able to go undiscovered in that tiny 2ftX2ft square of darkness.
Being a daddy to two little girls meant letting us do his makeup, forcing him to do ours, and becoming skilled at picking out which shoes go with which pants.
Being a daddy to two girls meant knowing when to hand over the telephone to our mom. (This happened to me just today, in fact.)
Being a daddy to two little girls meant helping me to pick out my Rolling Stones wedding song before I was out of elementary school.
Being a daddy to two little girls meant that in middle school, my dad made homemade milkshakes and chocolate chip cookies for us every.single.night before bed.
Being a daddy to two little girls means that my dad can school any of you in Dirty Dancing trivia. It means that instead of referring to Craig Bierko as Max Baer in Cinderella Man, my dad refers to him as Ray King, “Jazz Man” in Sex and the City.
My dad may be the ultimate man’s man, but he’s also the supreme girl’s daddy, and he has the pink shirts to prove it.
What does it mean to be the daddy of a little girl?
In my house it means many things.
It means that my husband has now purchased more than one two tutus.
It means that he now knows the difference between Aurora, Tiana, Jasmine and Ariel.
It means navigating through seas of pink and lace and tiaras and eyelashes and crazy, unimaginable love.
And, just today, it meant that I walked into the baby’s room to find my husband filing my daughter’s nails.
“So,” he began, as he leaned over the baby’s long, delicate fingers. “Time to gossip! That’s what ladies do when they get their nails done.”
That is what it means to be the daddy to a little girl,
and a very, very good one at that.
 
What does it mean to be the daddy of a little girl?
Let me tell you,
it means the world.