It is hard for fathers to show love to teenage daughters, especially after Dad goes to the den to watch "Sixty Minutes," and discovers his recording was interrupted so someone could watch "From G's to Gents" or some such nonsense on MTV. That and the NEW table in the den has glitter nail polish on it because said teenager was so distracted by "Gents" she couldn't be bothered to put a newspaper under her nails while she applied the glitter nail polish on them.
Despite these inconveniences, it is difficult to stay mad at said teen because she has spend her high school career on high honors, obeys curfew and has never been in trouble with the police. I keep her report card taped to the fridge to remind me that she is doing fine and deserves my love and support. Five A's, two B's. That's more A's than her father earned through high school and college.
So when I want to show my love and can't bring myself to say it, what with "G's to Gents" blasting away in MY den, here's what I do. I make her lunches for school.
This is the greatest love a father can bestow:
Crunchy PBJ
Two slices Brownberry Whole Grain Oat Nut Bread.
One Swosh Skippy Peanut Butter
One Swoosh Smuckers Strawberry Preserves
One-third handful Post Honey Bunches of Oats Just Bunches
(This comes in Honey and Caramel. Caramel is for eating, but Honey is better for sandwiches. So get both.)
Swosh the Peanut Butter on one slice of bread. Swoosh the jelly on the other. Sprinkle the Honey Bunches Just Bunches (Honey), or HBJB(H), over the peanut butter side, then flip jelly side over. Remove any jelly that sloshed out and onto the sides of the bread, because who wants sticky hands when they pull the sandwich out of the bag? Eeew.
One orange
Slice orange top to bottom. Repeat with halves and quarters, leaving eight slices. With very sharp knife, trim that white stringy stuff on the insides because it gets caught in your teeth and that's gross.
Add one Nature Valley Chewy Granola Bar, fruit and nut variety.
She would like me to open the cellophane wrapping, extract the bar, remove the almonds from the bar, dispose of almonds, then re-insert bar into cellophane and reseal so it stays fresh.
This request is being negotiated. If, next Sunday, I can watch "Sixty Minutes" in MY den with the fireplace to keep it all toasty, and not have to watch "G's to Gents" and don't find any more glitter nail polish on my new table, I will consider the request. Love goes only so far.
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Comments
PS The sandwich sounds yummy plus!
Monte
I gotta’ call my mom.
David--Never a bad idea.
Theo--It was a real shock when I started to grow up and discovered not everyone had two loving, somewhat capable parents. I assumed everyone had what I had. I was very lucky.
Irritated--There is a big turning point when you start to get Father's Day Cards that you didn't buy for yourself. Those are my report cards.
Tom--She is a notoriously picky eater. She removes the almonds from those bars.
Big thanks to all. If you are lucky, there comes a day when the kid doesn't need you to do stuff. Kids are supposed to figure out how to do stuff for themselves. You wonder for years how long you are going to HAVE to do stuff, then one day you don't have to anymore.
It's nice to be able to do things because I want to.
Great post. Rated
Esse--For an assignment in an education class, she had to teach me how to use a graphic calculator. She earned her A that day.
Bearnoot--No more notes, especially with boys. Someone might see them. But they know.
Noisy--She busts my chops on little things she knows are relatively inconsequential. But she gets the important stuff.
Thanks again to all.
So, would you like to adopt a son? ;-D
Thumbed. Good thing it's lunch time.
RATED
Rated.
there's still something about a peanut butter sandwich, made in the morning & wrapped with affection that says love for me, even if I make it myself for myself. and there you are putting in all those extras. yum.
surely the teenager knows she's blessed.
can't imagine what my dad would've done about the glitter on the new table but I know I never won the TV wars---except...remember the Heidi Bowl?
I hesitate to suggest the HBO to the Elder - she Adores cereal and HBO is her favorite, and she's been begging for Just Oats, and I've been resisting - seems like just that much more sugar.
My Younger is a squealer, and the Elder knows if she chunks the organic broccoli into the gutter, she'll be outed. So at least they're getting some vegetables.
It's an endless battle, trying to raise them up right. You write with humor and wit; and it's a lovely, light path you've taken. Thanks.
Connie--Cereal gets a bad rap for sugar content, but this stuff is better than Captain Crunch and Froot Loops, the staples of my youth. Gotta savor the small victories. It's all progress.
Back soon to start catching up on Connie F.
I say that most respectfully.
And now I want that sandwich.
I write "I love you" on their napkins included with their lunches on day when they take their lunch to school. I write "I love you" notes on dollar bill sized pieces of paper and slip it into SavageHusband's wallet -mixed in with the cash while he's asleep - he keeps them until they are falling apart. When my oldest son went to perform at Disney with his chorus class, I slipped an "I love you, break a leg, baby," note into the pocket of his uniform. He called me after the performance and said, "I love you too, ma."