Dads of Girls Must Deal With Puberty. Period.

photo credit: JD Hancock via photopin cc

And now … a note about puberty.

It came and went – twice – in my family. Two daughters down, one to go. No one has been that moody through it. Not even me. Not even as a the odd man out.

I can talk to my daughters about important things. I can tell them about a father who dies when you’re in your 30s or a cousin who dies when you’re 6. I can tell them about moving three time zones from the only home you’ve ever known, as a teenager.

But for some things … only a mother’s wisdom will do.

A Letter From a Dad to Some Grads

EJP

I don’t remember a thing from my high school commencement speech.

No sprig of advice, hint of knowledge, gem of insight as I embarked on the world with the rest of the class of 1990. (Holy hell that was a long time ago.) I’m pretty sure it wasn’t George H.W. Bush or Shock G from Digital Underground or Melissa Joan Hart.

Kerry Rivera at Breadwinning Mama wrote last week about commencement speeches from middle America. Her post is awesome. It got me thinking. What if they did want middle America? And what if they asked me?

Kerry is middle America. So am I. This is where we end up, between the ivory tower and soup kitchen. We declare our intent to rule the world and we barbecue with family and accept college offers or report to the shop for work the next Monday. Life begins.