A few weeks ago my daughter came home from school with a flier for our town’s annual Daddy-Daughter Dance. Ali had been tipped off about the event at church earlier in the year, as Hadley’s Sunday school teacher was commenting how this year would be the first opportunity for the youngest of her four daughters who happens to be Hadley’s classmate. So, in some sense I knew I was doomed for a few months. Yet, nothing could quite prepare me for my three year-old chirping from her car seat that she really wanted to me to take her to the dance, that she was old enough, that she was “free and a big girl, and if you were free you were old enough to go.”
Needless to say there was little doubt that this would be the first of many yearly expeditions with my lovely lass to the occasion. Despite any misgivings that I might have had about how young my daughter is and how I wish I could slow time just a little, Ali eased my anxiety and it became inevitable.
The next day, I arrived home with my daughter proclaiming how beautiful her new dress was, and how it was her favorite colors. Of course, the dress was already an essential part of what she what she was looking forward to about the evening. Her original plea even included, “I just want to go to the dance with you, Daddy, and wear a beautiful dress, and dance with you, and have Mommy paint my nails. I am not too little, Daddy.” As a result the heartbreak that has been well underway since the day she arrived in the world, cracked a little bit more even before we left for the dance.
Of course the day finally arrived last weekend. Even though there was a little chill in the air, we were able to get a couple of quality pics without too much trouble. As expected, Hadley wasn’t long for the actual dance. In fact, after a about forty-five minutes, she determined that it was far too loud. Perhaps more than anything she was ready to go to Friendly’s which was the plan for ending the evening.
So, our first dance turned out to be a quite a treat, complete with a chocolate dipped Peep sundae. Hadley was keen to make sure all the toppings were thoroughly sprinkled on the scoops of ice-cream. More than anything, I got the ultimate seal of approval when she offered to share the Peep with me, no small matter in the least.
