COLUMN: Reminiscing on my first year as a ‘girl dad’

Well, it’s official: my daughter is a year old.

I don’t know how that’s even possible, but it’s true. No longer does she just, well, lay there. Now she crawls all over the place and babbles almost incessantly. And thankfully she sleeps a whole lot better most nights than she did as a newborn.

She also eats just about everything, although she now prefers to feed herself rather than be fed. Half of her food typically ends up in her lap or on the floor, but I guess that’s part of the learning experience, and her big brother — who just so happens to be a dog — certainly doesn’t mind.

Her mother and I waited until we had been married for nearly a full decade before deciding to have a baby, so I will be in my 50s by the time she graduates high school, but that’s OK. For now, I’m going to do my best to enjoy being the father of a toddler, a life stage that apparently begins at 1-year-old according to Google.

It isn’t easy, as any parent can attest. Taking care of a child is simultaneously the most difficult thing I have ever done as well as the most rewarding. That cute little smile definitely helps, but at the end of the day, nothing will test your patience more than your kid.

I haven’t always made the right decisions as a parent. I have lost my cool on more than one occasion. I have been selfish, temperamental, and downright mean at times.

But I keep showing up, and I think that’s the most important thing. I learn more and more each day, I try to be a constant presence in my daughter’s life, and I do my best to love her unconditionally.

As she grows and matures, I hope she always remembers to keep God first. I hope I can be an example of what a good father and husband should be like. And I hope she always respects and admires her mother, who I have been with for almost 16 years.

Through all of the ups and downs we have faced in our marriage; the relationship I have with my wife has only gotten stronger. We keep choosing each other every day, and if soulmates indeed exist — I personally believe in them — there is no doubt in my mind that she is mine.

Our daughter has an incredible mother, a father who is doing his best to learn on the fly, and additional relatives — grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, and others — who provide the three of us with love and support. We are also members of a thriving local church that has helped us tremendously.

To put it simply, being a “girl dad” is amazing, and I believe that our little one is surrounded by a great support system. She already shows signs of being an active, intelligent, silly individual, and I can’t wait to watch her personality continue to blossom.

Also, she recently made her first basket in the bath time basketball goal that I bought her, and I don’t know that I have ever been prouder of her. Perhaps she will be a natural athlete.

Honestly, it really doesn’t matter what she chooses to do. I just want her to be happy, to treat others well, and to follow God’s will for her life.

That being said, I’m going to keep encouraging her to put that ball in the basket just like her daddy.