He might be a well-adjusted young man full of the right things, but I was not at his age, and I know all the angles. Control the public displays of affection and in private too. I’m not proud of my years as a teenage boy, but as a parent I have a wealth of experience to draw upon. I know you’re going to kiss, but I sure don’t want to see it. Show my daughter the respect she deserves, and she’s been taught to treat you the same way. And no, you can’t go out of town together to see a concert. We spent all those years teaching and instilling values. The young man’s mother did a very good job teaching manners and etiquette to her son. He ate with us at Easter and even brought flowers and a dessert. That said, this is still my daughter we’re talking about and I’m not naïve. No father likes to see his daughter cuddled with a boy. Taking your kid out for cake and ice cream in a cute outfit is the easy bit. Trying to wrestle a screaming toddler into a trolly so you can get a supermarket shop done before starting the school run? But it’s not just women who suffer from the idea of men ‘babysitting’ or taking their kids on ‘dates’ – it’s men too. The idea that a dad is a secondary parent, that their contributions are sporadic treats rather than a constant influence?
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